A Hero For Another Day
by Natsu1
Summary: Ch. 31 In the New Hyrule, Link has grown up on Lon Lon Ranch, at peace and ignorant of a past where he sacrificed his childhood and innocence for the land. However, some lies are like scars, and Destiny will not be ignored. epic LinkSaria. postOoT
1. Chapter 1

I have no copyright. I do not take credit for anyone else's. Zelda and all affiliates belong to some other people. They make money, I don't, end of story.

Ch. 1

I want a hero: an uncommon want,

When every year and month sends forth a new one,

Till, after cloying the gazettes with cant,

The age discovers he is not the true one;

-Lord Byron 

Link fixed the feedbag more comfortably around the horse's ears, and gave him an extra pat on the shoulder. The horse flicked an ear at him, and neighed shortly, before beginning to munch on the oats in the bag. Link smiled, and turned to pick up the other feeders which a cuckoo had been eyeing greedily. He shooed the feathery fiend away, and walked towards another side of corral, where a juvenile was watching him warily.

He sighed. This young horse had been giving him a lot of trouble. Ingo had picked him up from a nomad trader who had been traveling through Hyrule only two months ago, and it had been a struggle ever since. 

Link took one of the smaller feedbags from the rest and shook it invitingly at the juvenile. It snorted back, and stomped a foot, before moving down the side of the fence in a trot. Laughter trickled on the breeze to Link, and he turned with a frown to see Malon, the Ranch Keeper's daughter, smiling innocently. He put a hand on his side.

"Really, its not so funny after the first few hundred times!"

Malon laughed again, but unhooked Epona from the rope she'd had her on, and came over. Link looked over to where the beautiful young horse was trotting away, determined not to be roped again. The colt was getting bigger, and would soon be one of the finest of Lon Lon Ranch. 

He'd had his eye on the animal since he'd come to this ranch, five years ago, when he was a boy of eleven. Then, the colt would let no one but Malon touch her, until Malon showed Link how to play her song on his ocarina. Ever since, he'd secretly wanted the horse for his own.

Malon came over and took the feedbag from him, jolting him from his thoughts. 

"Here, I'll do him, if you'll see if you can get Epona to hold still long enough for you!"

He smiled gratefully, and made his way along the fence, his eyes on Epona. The horse stopped, and looked back at him, tossing her head. He grinned back at her, and advanced. The young horse danced away from his approach playfully, and he gave chase. He was a strong lad, a born fighter. His muscles were hardened from working on the ranch, and he was quick on his feet. Quick, but not so quick as to be able to catch the fleet-footed Epona. 

Finally, he came to a stop in the center of the corral, and put the remaining feedbags down. Epona watched him from the far corner of the fence, grazing nonchalantly, as if uninterested. He slowly put his hand down to his belt, and unhooked his ocarina. The instrument was odd for its type. It was not brightly colored, nor large in size. The hull was made of a light colored forest wood, smoothed of splinters and grooves. It was small in his larger hands, but he held it carefully, and with affection. 

Now Epona was looking the other way, pretending she didn't see him. He brought the instrument up to his lips, and blew experimentally, producing a clear, high note, which caught the attention of all of the horses, causing many heads to turn to the young man with the ocarina. He fixed his fingers over the appropriate holes, and started to play. The tune was lazy, and warm, causing many ears to flicker around in enjoyment. Epona brought her head up, and turned to him. She gave a knicker of approval, and slowly trotted over to him as he play the song. 

He grinned, but did not halt in playing until she was at his side. She nosed him in the ribs, and he brought out a hand to pat her nose.

"Here you are," He said, and brought a feedbag up to hook around her head. She took it easily, and then moved away to crunch contentedly on the oats. 

*************

He turned to see Malon coming up behind him, the headstrong young horse being led on a rope. She was aware of how fond Link was of Epona, and smiled as she watched the horse trot away. 

"You've almost got her eating out of your hands, now!"

Link shrugged self-deprecatingly, and moved over to pat the juvenile's shoulder. The horse snorted at him, and moved away. Malon sighed. 

"He's quite the stubborn one, and not coming around at all. What was Ingo thinking? He's a fine breed, but it doesn't make up for the fact that he won't cooperate!"

Link nodded and turned to look at the sun's position low in the sky. 

"I suppose we can work with him tomorrow some before we go, its getting late now."

Malon shaded her eyes and peered over towards the stalls. Talon would be out soon, to take the horses in, and it would be Malon's job to cook dinner. She untied the young horse from the rope, and coiled it up. Both watched him trot away, tail raised in displeasure.

*************

Link lay back on the cot, his arms folded behind his head, and thought about the day. The young horse was getting to be trouble. It was at what was usually called an unbreakable age in its life, but Malon was giving her best. Link had decided that it was far too much trouble for what it was worth, as had Talon, but Malon was stubborn, and would not give up. 

He sighed, and stretched his body, feeling the vertebrae in his spine pop as they settled back into place. Ranch life meant a lot of work, but he'd fallen into the position nicely. Had it only been five years since he'd come here? An orphaned boy living in the forest among the Kokiri children, he'd left to find out who he was, if not Kokiri, and had stumbled upon this ranch while scrounging for work. Talon had offered him a position after he had helped the man deliver his famous Lon Lon milk around, and Link had jumped at the offer to work with the horses, and his new friend Malon.

Since then it had been day in and day out, working from dawn till dusk, and finding a home under the open sky. 

...Still.

He fiddled with the wooden ocarina, clasping it in his left hand and holding it up to the single candle's light. Still. He felt out of place, as if there was something more that he was missing. He studied the worn grooves around the holes on the instrument, caused from years of use. He'd always had this, since he could remember, and was not sure where he had received it from. It was Kokiri, that much the forest children had told him. A sacred instrument of the woodlands, which could play the mystical Song of the Forest, if ever one knew the song. 

Link did not know the song, so he spent his time learning other songs. Songs of Hylians, which were given out to anyone who wanted to know them, and were not mystical, _or_ sacred. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimers are in Ch. 1

Ch. 2

Here sighs and cries and wails coiled and recoiled on 

the starless air, spilling my soul to tears. 

-Dante Alighieri

That night the dream was stronger. 

The roaring of the flames was deafening, and he tried to block it, the heat searing him through his thin working tunic. There was a sudden change in pitch of the sound, and it seemed to become laughter. The laughter was harsh and wild. Link would have been terrified of the sound, if he were the type to be afraid. Instead, he brought down his arms, and peered through the violently flickering wall of fire, to where a blur was making itself known. It appeared and disappeared rapidly, making his eyes hurt from the strain of watching. 

Suddenly, it was coming. Charging through the raging fire, becoming larger and larger, the sound of laughter becoming louder and louder, until, faintly, in the distance, the sound of _weeping_...

Link awoke with a cry of pain, muscles tensed and flexed for a battle that was not real. He struggled within the confines of his tangled blanket, finally ripping it away with a sharp tearing sound. A light suddenly shone in his eyes, and he was aware of voices. 

"Link, oh Link, wake up!"

"Hold him still 'afore he hurts hisself! Ingo, bring that torch over!"

The light was suddenly very bright, and his eyes opened to bring in the familiar faces. He suddenly remembered where he was, and drew in a ragged breath. Ingo pulled the torch away, and grumbled under his breath. He put it in a sconce on the far wall, so it shown down on them, and then left for his own cot. 

Malon sat on the cot beside Link, and touched his sweat soaked brow. His breathing was coming in ragged intakes, and his hands were still clenching and unclenching in the dark. 

"Shhh, Link, it was only a dream." She put out a hand to touch his shoulder, and the young man finally took in a deep breath. He stood up, shrugging the hand off of his shoulder. Around him, the ripped blanket fell away, and he watched it with a lost expression. It was strongly knit, and made of a thick wool, but in the throes of his nightmare, he'd torn through it as though it were the thinnest of papyrus. 

Talon put a strong grip on his shoulder, forcing him to look at him.

"It's all right lad, just a blanket, no harm. Come on and have some warm Lon Lon milk, it'll fix ya right up."

Link allowed himself to be taken to the low-slung wooden work table, while Talon went to warm some milk. Malon came over and sat beside him.

"I'm sorry about the blanket, Malon," He finally managed to say. His voice was dry and harsh, and he swallowed reflexively, inwardly wincing at the rawness. Malon smiled though, and patted his hand.

"Its fine, Link, it can be re-stitched."

He looked up guiltily. "It was your mother's, Malon. It can never be the same."

She shook her head. "Perhaps not, but maybe twill be stronger, and finer, for the fix. Sometimes thats how things are."

Talon came back with a small jar of the milk, and Link managed to drink a little bit of it, soothing his throat. They sat around a while longer, before Malon finally spoke again.

"Want to talk about it?"

Link shrugged. "Nothing to talk about. It was just a dream." He put the empty jar down with an air of finality, and stood up. 

"You should both get back to sleep, tomorrow is a long day, if we're going to try with that horse again."

Talon finally nodded, stopping Malon from protesting with a fatherly look, and rose to take the torch. Malon followed behind him upstairs, and Link watched until they shut the door, plunging the downstairs room into darkness again. He gave a sigh, and looked over to where Ingo's shape could just be made out, his back to them. Already low snores were drifting up. 

Link felt his way to his own cot, and sat down on the edge, feeling around until he found the ripped blanket. He held the soft material in his callused hands, rubbing a thumb over the thick texture. Shaking his head, he lay back down on the makeshift bed, and closed his eyes. Eventually, sleep came. 

*************

Link fed the rope out distractedly, his eyes far away. The troublesome young horse, which Malon had fondly named Rascal, pulled at the rope in annoyance as it slacked, neighing angrily at the young man who was ignoring his fierce show. 

He tried to come around to tangle Link up, but Malon's warning shout jarred Link from his thoughts in the nick of time to tighten the rope and cut the slack. Rascal jerked at the cord, but it was taut now, and he was unable to thrash about as he had done before. Out of Link's sight, Malon gave him a worried look, before quickly looping a knot in her own cut of rope, and throwing it over the prancing horse's head. She tightened the slack, and tied the rope off expertly on the corral's gatepost. Link followed, and the horse was now confined outside of the corral. 

"Are you okay?" She asked, as soon as Talon had come in to saddle and tack the horse. Link flexed his hand where the rope had burned him before, and shrugged. 

"Fine, just a burn."

Although she had not been speaking of the wound, Malon eyed his hand. "Still, you'd better go dress that up, Link. It looks bad."'

"I will later. Come on, lets help your father."

They ran over to where Talon was struggling with the horse, and Link thought no more of the dream for the rest of the morning.

*************

Neither Malon nor Link had extra time for working with the horses after the early morning. Soon, they both went to clean up and change clothing, as it was market day. They would take the old wagon from the stable, and Delka, the retired racing horse of Talon's, to the Hyrule Town market, to pick up food and supplies for the month. Ingo had been assigned to make the trip before, usually taking Link along with him, but now that they were older, the duty fell to he and Malon. 

Link felt a strange impatience as he put on his finer traveling tunic, a soft blue long-sleeved one he wore only on the days he went to the town market. He usually enjoyed the monthly trip to the market, but today the feeling was more of a need. He slipped on his leather riding shoes snugly, and then stepped outside to where Ingo was hitching up Delka. The horse was sweet-tempered and gentle, and was especially fond of apples. It snuffled at Ingo's pockets while the man grumbled and pushed him away.

"Go on and be still, Delka!"

Link grinned and took the reins up from Ingo. 

"I'll take it from here." 

Malon came outside shortly, also clad in a nicer dress and soft, well-worn, walking shoes. She came around the side of the wagon, and pulled an apple from behind her, holding it out to the delighted Delka, while rubbing him behind the ears. 

Talon came out from mucking the stalls, and leaned on a pitchfork. 

"Don't forget the special oats! Old Bessa's come down with a fine cold, and she'll need 'em."

Link nodded to him, and swung up into the wagon seat, taking the reins up again. Malon followed suit, and settled beside him in the seat, clutching on to the pouch of rupees for the supplies. 

Link swished the reins along the horse's neck, and Delka started off at a steady pace, careful of his riders in the wagon. Malon turned and waved to her father, as Ingo closed the gate, and then faced forward again, to take in the Hyrulean field they were emerging onto.

*************

"Let's see..." Malon held up the supply list, and called off several items. "You take the tools, and I'll take the food, all right?"

Link agreed, and they both set off in different directions. He checked the list, and headed towards the Potions shop to collect the specially made oats Talon had sent a request for. He walked slowly by the Bazaar, and watched as a soldier stepped out, whistling cheerily and holding something in a dusty brown cloth under his arm. He felt a sudden desire to make this stop first, but checked himself, and headed towards the Potions shop.

Inside, a handsome young Hylian waited behind the counter. This was the young shopkeeper that Malon was so enamored with. His eyes were a darker cobalt blue than Link's own, and he sported wavy locks of dark brown hair. He smiled, recognizing Link, and leaned over the counter. 

"Hello there. Where's your pretty young friend?"

Link gave him the list. "Haggling in the street market, I guess." 

The man nodded, and went to the back of his shop, sorting through to collect the supplies Link needed. 

"Well," He said, bringing a bag of oats to the counter. "Tell her I said hi, huh? And here are those oats Talon needed. They were a pain to get. Damn old woman in the village doesn't part with her secrets easily."

Link nodded, and paid him for the supplies. After he left, he headed towards the Bazaar. The impressively huge Hyrulean who owned the shop was a blacksmith as well as a trader. He loomed over Link from the other side of the counter, and squinted at him. 

"Well?" He boomed. 

"Lon Lon Ranch order for some horseshoes and tackle."

The man peered over at him as if he'd never seen him before, and finally nodded, heading off to the smaller room at the back where he worked with metal. Link was left to look about the shop, and looked around as he always did curiously, finally letting his eyes rest on a Hylian shield, freshly polished, and reflecting light from the window. He forced himself to look away, and fiddled with the list again.

Lon Lon Ranch had, on occasion, the rare thief or two, who came to steal horses or tools. They were usually a cowardice bunch, though, and all it usually took was Ingo lighting a lamp and brandishing a pitchfork to chase them off. There was never really a need then, to be equipped with fighting tools, and aside from a rusty old sword that Talon supposedly kept somewhere in the upstairs room, there were none. All the same, Link was always frustrated when the thieves offered no fight. 

Link was tough by nature, and had tried at one point when he was around thirteen to sign to become a soldier. However, soldiers were picked from a choice amount of young men who lived in town, and he was turned away.

Now, he slowly walked over, and ran a finger down the shield front. It was cool to the touch, and smooth in texture. He put his fingers under it, and tried it's weight. It was heavy, and to his liking. Finally, Link grasped it with his left hand, and lifted it, fixing his right arm into the straps on the inside of the shield. He tottered back at the alien weight, but felt his body react instantly to the feeling of the shield in his hands. 

It felt right to him, and he slowly eased it off the table, stepping back to brandish it as he had seen guards do. So absorbed was he in the feeling, that he missed the shop owners reentrance, and was startled back to reality at the deep laughter.

"What's the matter, kid? Never seen a shield before?"

Link felt embarrassed, and eased it back into its spot on the table. 

The man nodded towards it. "Eighty rupees, and its yours."

Link shook his head. "No thanks. Just the tackle and the shoes."

The man shrugged, and pushed them across the counter, holding out an enormous paw of a hand to take the rupees for them. He paused, and looked back curiously at Link.

"Sure 'bout that? You look natural at it."

Link shrugged and took the supplies. 

Outside again, while waiting for Malon to finish, he let his bored gaze drift towards the castle of Hyrule, which even at a distance, was large and grand. Seeing it again brought back memories of his childhood, when he had once snuck inside of the castle to meet the princess. 

Many young men tried this, to either test their courage or get a glimpse of the young princess Zelda. Link had done it on a strange whim, climbing up at night and sneaking past dozens of guards, just to see the small girl at a window, peering through to watch her father in a meeting. She was strangely unimpressive to Link, who had somehow pictured her as perhaps more regal, more alien to things he knew. 

She was instead merely a girl with large intelligent eyes and a long pink dress, not so different from any girl he'd seen before. The interesting part of the meeting came when she showed him her own ocarina, one that was of a red metal, and with several different royal symbols on it. She taught him a song that she had been singing. A lullaby. One that he would teach to all he met in the future, a song that played to him in his dreams. 

He hadn't seen her since, aside from the formal visits she made to the town with her royal escort and mysterious Guardian Sheikah, who followed her closely. Link had always wondered if the princess taught everyone the song when they came sneaking through the gardens, or if it had only been him. 

His thoughts were interrupted by a strangled cry, and he whipped around to see a cloaked man on a dark horse bearing down on him. His immediate reaction was to crouch, and brace himself for the attack, but as soon as the rider was upon him, he seemed to flicker, and then abruptly disappear.

Link was left staring up at the spot where the rider had just been. Several people had turned to look in his directions where the cry had come from, and Malon was rushing over to him. He let her drag him back up to a standing position, but could not forget the look of startling hate in the strange man's glowing eyes, nor the way his mouth had opened in a laughing sneer...

"Link...Link!" He finally focused, and found Malon crouched in front of him. The food supplies she had collected were scattered out on the ground, and some kindly town folk were stopping to collect them, and Link's own goods. 

He stood up abruptly, and looked around him. 

"The...rider!"

Malon looked around also, but turned back to him in confusion.

"Link, what rider?" 

Link looked around wildly. There was no sign of distress. No screams of fear or clomping of hooves. In fact, the only out-of-ordinary occurrences seemed to be him, and the fallen goods on the ground. Now he was truly worried.

What was happening to him?


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimers are in Chapter 1. And kudos to my first reviewers: thanks for giving me a chance.

Ch. 3

Poor intricated soul! Riddling, perplexed labyrinthical soul!

-John Donne

Afterwards, both of them sat on the fountain edge, and had a small lunch of cheese and bread. Malon coaxed him into small talk, to take up the silence he'd fallen into.

"Remember this?" She asked, "This was where we met. I was looking for my father, and I stumbled upon you instead."

He nodded slowly, grateful for distraction. "You wanted me to see if he was sleeping at the castle, and gave me the little cuckoo to wake him if he was... I snuck past the guards on the hill side... and swam across the moat to find him..."

She smiled back. "And you didn't get caught. But boy did he hurry back! He thought I was going to be angry!"

"And you were," He grinned back. "Furious, if I remember."

They both were quiet for a moment, in a comfortable silence, before Malon looked up curiously. 

"Did you meet the princess?"'

He halted a piece of bread at his mouth, and thought about it carefully.

"I know you came back a second time, before you came to the ranch, and before father quit that silly job at the castle. I saw you talking to the guard at the gate. Did you bribe him?"

He shrugged, slightly embarrassed that she knew, and had kept it secret for so long. "I did come back. I wanted to see what she looked like."

"And?" Malon pressed.

"And... she looked like a girl," Link said very casually, before quickly shoving the bread into his mouth. Malon laughed, letting the conversation drop to save him further embarrassment. 

*************

As it always did, the shopping took the better part of the remaining day, and Link settled them a room in the town's inn. Malon moved their supplies in, while he found a stall to put Delka in. 

When he came back, Malon was watching him with a strange expression.

"What?" He said, looking down at his body self-consciously.

She shook her head, and frowned. "I'm just worried about you, Link."

"Well don't be," He said, going over to one of the soft beds, and stretching out on it. She followed suit, but only sat on her own, peering over at him. 

"Will you dream again tonight?"

"Who knows?"

"I'm asking you Link... Will you dream tonight?"

He stared at the ceiling with the vague feeling of impending danger.

Or was it another illusion?

"Yes."

*************

He awoke in a startled state, eyes wide open. He stopped breathing, and focused his senses on what he had heard. It was gone now, replaced by the soft breathing of Malon's slumber. 

The night was silent.

Link stayed rigid, not daring to even blink, lest he miss something. There! Again!

It was soft, and echoed in a strange way, as if through a valley, or cave. 

Singing...

He carefully moved out of the bed, creeping slowly to the door, where he pressed his ear against the wooden frame. No, not nearby. It was as faint here as it had been from his bed. There was only one place that he had ever heard this haunting tune. But how was he able to detect it from here?

Link opened the door as quietly as possible, and slipped out onto the staircase. He peered through the foggy night to the castle, and felt like something deep inside had grabbed him, and then he was moving. 

He took the stairs in a swift bound, and crouched in the shadows, to hear the haunting voice raise again. Moving at a lope now, he cleared the town square, and eluded the attention of several lethargic guards. The only watcher he had attained, was one of the roaming dogs that ran boldly through the empty streets at night. It followed him from a distance, and he paid it no mind.

Link left the paved town road, and took the open trail that led around a bend to the castle. The site was set up perfectly so any traveler could suddenly come upon the full view of the castle in all of its splendor. Link paid it no heed, and ducked around a tree to see the lone guard, leaning against gatehouse wall. Though he had bribed this same guard once, it would be a riskier chance to take now, as he was fully a young man, and creeping around at night at the castle could provide some alarm.

He instead headed for the hill that sloped down and became a natural wall around the castle's front. He climbed wild vines up a rock wall as he had done before, and found himself face to face with a strange stone statue. He did not dare thump it to attain the time, though somehow he felt he needed it, for its jarring chatter would surely raise alarm.

Instead he passed it, and ran on down the slope, careful to keep an eye on any guard he could make out. He jumped onto the roof of the gatehouse, careful to not make a noise, and slipped through the roofhatch on top, climbing down to find himself in the flickering light of a torch, set high in a sconce above the room. The inside was sparse: a thick, horse blanket spread out on the floor, and a door immediately in front of him. 

He opened it, and looked around to see the guard standing unknowingly on the other side of the gate. The singing was more concentrated now, and had lost the echoing sound, leaving its natural clearness to be heard. Link knew this song. Knew it well enough to take out his ocarina and play right along with it, but he suppressed the dangerous urge, and moved on down the road. There were no guards lining the rough dirt road here, but there were on crest of the hill above him, and he ducked down as he ran. 

It had been a long time, and now he had to move cautiously. He mounted the hill in a scrabbling crawl, and was glad to see that several tall trees still lined the uphill road to the castle. He slipped behind one of the trees, and knelt, waiting for a guard who was standing nearby to move on.

From here, it was up another rock wall, to above the most heavily armed gates, to where he could dive into the moat, and swim until he attained the rear tower door. There he could climb out, and crawl through the water channel, if, and only if, it wasn't too small. It was the only setback in the plan, but he did not stop to dwell on it.

When he had reached the channel, he crawled out of the moat, and was barely able to squeeze through it. He ignored this fact, still caught up in the strange pull that had gripped him earlier. Now, it was through the gardens, where, if it hadn't changed, the guard system was much heavier. 

Here he tried to stop and ponder his sudden flight into the night, but the pull would not give him a moment to be rational, and he was urged on. The singing was louder now, and now he ducked and weaved his way through the garden flora. Bushes of elderberry and thistles provided hiding places, and he moved quickly and soundlessly whenever possible. Nonetheless, the sky was becoming a lighter gray even as he cleared the last obstacle, and stumbled into the small, secluded sanctuary of Princess Zelda.

"You!" He rasped, when the singing suddenly stopped, and he was in control of himself again. The princess had turned in utter surprise, and was now watching him with a strange expression on her face.

Beyond anything else, Link was furious that he had been dragged here, against his will. He stormed up to her, and she held out pale arms to halt his movement. 

"No, Link, wait!"

He froze. "How do you know my name?"

"I remembered it," She said quickly.

Link peered at her features angrily in the dark. "Why did you bring me here?"

"I didn't bring you here, Link, you came of your own will!"

"You're lying," His eyes narrowed. "It was that lullaby...is it magic?"

Her head suddenly tilted, and he was aware of her smiling in the dark.

"You remembered it," She said softly. "I wasn't sure if you would... No, its not magic, Link. I didn't force you to come here. You came because... you're looking for something."

He paused, and let some of the anger fade. Uncertainty replaced it. "Looking for what?" He countered.

"For something you...lost," Zelda said carefully, testing the waters. 

His expression gave nothing away in the dark, though.

"I haven't lost anything, Princess Zelda. And something did bring me here, because I certainly didn't sneak through the castle just to come and see you."

It was said with a little more harshness than he intended, but he was confused and uneasy now. Zelda held out a hand, as if to calm him, and then led him over to a seat that sat above the sanctuary's clear pond. He sat down, and waited for her to speak again.

"Link... you must believe that I didn't force you to come. You came because you were lost, and somehow you knew that if you came here, then you would find your way."

This somehow made sense to him, and he calmed slightly.

"Tell me," She said, the same careful tone in her voice as before, "Have you had any...dreams, of the late?"

He looked up in surprise, but then remembered that Zelda came from the direct line of the Hylian Royal family, and had some magical powers, prophetic notions rumored to be one of them.

He nodded. "I did... the night before last."

She leaned in to listen intently, and he felt strangely comfortable with her, as if this kind of thing happened a lot. In truth, he'd only been this close to her once before, and that was when she had introduced herself to him, and taught him her lullaby. 

"There was fire," He finally said. "And a dark laughter from beyond it."

She nodded, her expression again unreadable in the dark. "Go on."

He shrugged. "That was all. A dark form came towards me, and I thought it was a man, but I awoke before I could make it out." On a strange whim, partly because of his residual anger at being forced here, he did not speak of the weeping.

"Was this the first?"

He shook his head. "No, but it was the first time I saw the outline. Before there was only the laughter..."

"Have there been any... other strange occurrences?" Said again in the same careful tone that was beginning to wear at his nerves. 

"Today, I... _thought_ I saw a dark, cloaked man coming towards me... his eyes were glowing, and he was riding a pitch Gerudo stallion." 

She raised an eyebrow, unseen in the dark. "You have a keen knowledge of horses."

"I should," He said in a clipped tone, "I'm a ranch hand."

She nodded slowly. "Of course, I apologize. But tell me, what happened?"

Link was growing annoyed with her careful words and probing questions.

"He just... disappeared." 

"You were in the market when this happened?"

He glanced up sharply, but realized again that she was the princess of Hyrule, and had eyes and ears everywhere.

"I was waiting for a friend when it happened. No one else saw him. It was as if..." He trailed off, and again questioned his sanity. Was he falling ill to some sickness of the mind? The question disturbed him deeply.

"Did you consider that it may have been a vision, though?" She finally asked, as if somehow reading his mind. 

"A vision? No, it was more like..." _A memory_?

The thought came unbidden to him, and he shook himself mentally to dispel it. It couldn't have been a memory. He had never seen anything like the evil-looking man on the horse.

Zelda watched him carefully, but when he said nothing more, she reached out to pat his hand comfortingly. "You should come to the temple, Link, and perhaps speak with the priests. If these are visions, or perhaps merely apparitions, then maybe they can help you to be rid of them, or even understand them, if necessary."

Her questing and careful tone had disappeared, and Link felt himself relax his anger and uneasiness. 

"Why were you singing?" He finally said, surprising her.

"To sleep, like always," She responded with a smile, giving him the same answer as she had the first time. That, he remembered, and it was a peaceful memory, which finally calmed him. He nodded, and reached for his ocarina automatically, only to remember that he was wearing only his under tunic loosely, without the belt. 

She shook her head, and rose. 

"It's time for you to go, Link," She said, "My guardian has been watching us now for sometime, and I believe she's growing impatient."

Link stopped himself from looking around suddenly, and nodded, rising also. He felt unsure of how to excuse himself, but finally settled for a nod.

"Good night, Princess."

She smiled gently at him as he turned to leave.

"And good night, Hero of Time," She whispered softly to his form, already disappearing from whence it had come in the shadows. 

*************

Colorful streaks of dawn were already appearing overhead as Link slid down the vines, and tiredly made his way back down the road to town. The guards had changed while he was gone, and now watched him suspiciously as he openly walked into the town square. 

Several early rising market-keepers were already setting up for the day's hustling crowds, and he walked past them without a glance in their direction. His thoughts were jumbled and full, confused about all that had happened so recently. He pushed the questions away, though, and trudged wearily up the stairs. 

Link opened the door as softly as possible, and slipped in, relieved to find Malon still sleeping. Sitting down on his own bed, he pulled off his dew-sodden riding shoes, and slipped under the quilt, falling asleep before he his head touched the pillow. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimers in Chapter 1. I also have to warn anyone reading this, I'm afraid its gonna get long. So please bear with me, here, I'm just going along with it, myself.

Ch. 4

The lions pass a thornbush and melt.

Though the whole day is unbroken

the passage of the sun will represent heaven

the bones will represent time.

-Josephine Jacobsen

Morning came quickly, and Link opened his eyes with the feeling that he had only closed them moments ago. He was aware of the clanging of metal ware, and looked up to find Malon crouched over a sack, where she was drawing the strings of it to close in the tackle and horseshoes. It was too heavy for her to carry, though, and Link sat up abruptly, pulling himself up to take the load from her. 

"Morning," She sang, in the rich way with which she made all greetings.

Link was immediately set at ease by the familiar tone. The events of the night before seemed vague now, and he wandered if it had all been a dream. He hefted the load onto his squared shoulder, and slipped into the still-damp riding shoes at the foot of the bed. Instantly, with an uneasy feeling, he realized that it hadn't been a dream after all.

Downstairs, he headed towards the horsestalls where Delka was being combed down by a helpful stable boy. The horse whinnied upon seeing his familiar form, and he stopped to pet it on the nose, before dumping the heavy sack into their wagon. Malon followed shortly, carrying more bags with her, full of goods and food stuff she'd bought and traded for in the market. 

Link made the last trip upstairs to collect the remaining supplies, and then they hitched Delka back up, and led the wagon outside of the stable. It was late morning now, and the crowd was picking back up again.

"Anything we have left to do before we leave?" Malon said, looking back over the list. 

Link let his eyes drift back over the buildings to where the Hyrule Castle loomed majestically on the horizon, but shook his head.

"No, thats all, I think. Lets go."

They were leaving, when suddenly Malon put a hand over his, a motion for him to halt Delka. "Wait!" She said, pointing over to a fairly odd building which stood out entirely. It was a mask shop Link had passed by a hundred times, yet now it seemed a fairly odd site to him, and he wandered if Malon felt the same.

She stood up. "We've never been in that shop, Link. I think we should at least go once." It was good, solid logic, Link decided, and turned Delka to head that way.

*************

The collection of masks in the shop turned out to be very strange, and Malon left disappointedly. Link joined her outside shortly, and she explained.

"I wanted to see if the shopkeeper had any interesting masks... for... well," She blushed slightly, and Link looked on in a slight confusion.

"For Marcus," She blurted out, naming the handsome Potion shopkeeper. Link suddenly understood her hesitance for being embarrassment, and shrugged good naturedly, swinging back up into the seat of the wagon. 

"Unless he likes rabbit and Zora faces, I guess he wouldn't be too thrilled with this place," Link said understandably. Malon smiled gratefully back, and re-attained her pleasant attitude for the rest of the trip home.

  
  
*************

That night, the dream was even stronger, filled with a desperate struggle against the fire and the palpable feeling of utter pain and helplessness. He fought with something in his hands, which he swung about fiercely, to no avail. This time the darkness hurtling towards him was greater, faster, and it hit him with the force of all agony, pulled down upon him. Still, even as the raging flames fell from his view, and the swirling, deafening laughter faded, and the world was dark and silent, there came again the soft, distant sound of weeping...

*************

He did not wake throughout the dream, though, and morning found him more troubled than ever. The dark form was indeed the man he'd seen on the Gerudo horse... but who was he? What was this evil power that emanated from him?

He had no answers to these questions, and again thought of what the princess had told him of the priests. Were they really visions? Better that than face the feeling that he was going mad, and seeing strange things that did not exist. But would it have been better? The raging inferno and the glowing eyes told him that it wasn't, that if this... man was real, than he was indeed a being to be wary of. 

Link arose to wash and scrub his face, and then dressed quickly. The sooner he got to his morning chores, the sooner he would be able to think of other things. 

Malon met him outside, and they both set to work. Malon went out to feed to cuckoos, who strutted about the ranch in a royal fashion, and Link pitched hay for the cows. Ingo was mucking the stalls out with a very sour mood at the stench, and Talon was fitting new horseshoes where they were needed. The work helped him to take his mind away from the nightmare, but he could not forget the evil being that had rode through fire on a Gerudo stallion...

  
  
*************

"He's starting to remember." Zelda said, turning in a circle slowly, taking in all of the faces in the Chamber. She'd taken her hair out of its braids, and her dress was low cut to show the Triforce symbol glowing. 

There was an immediate rush of voices as all present began to speak. 

"Silence, silence all!" the Rauru spoke, holding up his hand. "We will all speak, but let it be one at a time, so we that we can hear." Immediately the Chamber fell silent, and all turned to Nabooru, the Sage of the Desert. 

"How is this possible? We all put forth our power to reseal the Chamber of Time, and to return him to his childhood!" There were murmurs of agreement from all around. "It can not have something to do with us, for surely he does not have the power needed to remember things that no longer exist!" 

"Nonetheless," Zelda spoke above the voices. "He's starting to see things, and believes he may be going mad."

"This is worse than the alternative!" Boomed Darunia. "It is one thing to live in peace, it is another to be haunted by things that were!"

Zelda shook her head sadly. "I should have never taught him that lullaby. I might have brought this on myself!" 

"Do not trouble yourself with things that are already past," Impa said, "That alone could not have stirred something in him that we together banished." 

"If the alternative life has been sealed away by all of our combined powers, then how is it that he remembers? Link is very strong, in both body and mind, but not any power but ours can undo what has been done!" Ruto added. All fell silent again, as they mulled over this. 

When all but Saria had spoken, Rauru turned to her. "What do you think, Saria?"

The smallest Sage shook her head. "Sorry, but I'm at as much of a loss to explain. Perhaps... he really is just dreaming?" There was a murmuring of 'perhaps', yet not one of the Sages believed this to be true. Saria's lack of passionate input caused them to once again leave her out of the present discussion, and she gave an inward sigh of relief, before fading away back to her own realm.

They talked over it for another few minutes, but Zelda announced that she had to leave them, as her father would worry as to her whereabouts. She smiled briefly at her once Guardian Impa, before stepping back into the Triforce symbol, and disapearing from the Chamber. 

"I'm afraid all we can do now is wait," said Rauru, "And watch how things progress." The idea received nods from all, and each Sage stepped back onto their own symbol, to disappear to their own realms.  
  
  
*************

Link perched on the corral gate, balancing himself as well as possible. He unhooked his ocarina, and hefted it in his right hand for a moment, letting his thoughts drift. 

Were the dreams visions? Or merely nightmares? It would have seemed that way, except for the apparatus of the dark cloaked man riding towards him in the market. That couldn't have been a dream, as he wasn't sleeping. He thought again of the idea that had come unbidden to him while he was speaking to Zelda. 

A memory?

Link lifted the ocarina to his lips, and played a warm-up note, before going into the lullaby automatically. He replayed it several times, letting his thoughts drift, until he was no longer paying attention to the song, or the notes, but on the distant blur, that was moving towards him. 

He didn't stop playing, but focused instead on the form growing larger. It was not threatening, like the horse-mounted man, but seemed more like a small, child-like figure, running. It came closer and closer, sifting through the corral fence and seeming to blur the lines of reality. Suddenly, he could hear, beyond the notes he played, a voice on the wind…

"_Link_!"  


  
*************

Malon was leading the ever persnickety Rascal around the Ranch track, when she saw Link seem to sag, and then tip backwards off of the gate. 

"Link!" She cried, dropping the rope she'd been leading the horse with. She was too late to stop his fall, though, and he crumpled to the ground, his body splayed out with the ocarina laying several feet away. Malon knelt beside him. 

"Damn it, Link... What's happening to you?" She whispered, touching his clammy forehead. His eyes opened and blinked several times, finally focusing on her. His lips seemed to form a word, and then he pushed himself up, looking around wildly.

"Where..." He started.

Malon helped him up, as he would not be coaxed to stay still. He whirled around, and found the ocarina. Walking over to it, he scooped it up, and looked at it angrily. He turned back to her. 

"Malon," He said, "You have to tell me... Did you see someone out there?" He pointed towards the corral. She shook her head.

"No, Link... the only ones out here are you and I." 

Link's eyes narrowed, and he kept them on the distant spot for a long time. 

"Link..." Malon started. "I think... that you may need some help." She said it carefully. Link was stubborn when it came to issues that had to do with his health or well-being. To her surprise though, he nodded slowly.

"I think you may be right," He said, in a quiet undertone. "Malon..." He started, "How long do you think-"

"I'll go now," She interrupted. "You can take Delka. He isn't the fastest, but he is the most reliable." Link gave her a grateful look, then turned to leave, heading back to the house to collect his scarce belongings.   


  
*************

He left shortly after nightfall, and without a goodbye, which would surely cause more questions that he could now answer. Delka didn't seem to mind the out-of-schedule ride, and was content to crunch an apple Link had brought with him. They galloped full speed out of the ranch, making the fields of Hyrule before the moon was overhead. 

Link felt slightly lost, though out here, on his own, there was a strange energy that hummed through his body, and took away any remains of tiredness. He led Delka down a well worn path that would take them to Hyrule Castle Town, and thought about what he must do. Zelda has spoken of the priests of the Temple, and this was where he had decided to go. It seemed to be his best chance now to understand what was happening to him.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimers are in Ch. 1

Ch. 5

"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad 

here. I'm mad. You're mad."

"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.

"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."

-Lewis Carroll

Dawn found them at the gates of the town. Link was perched on the side of the water channel, and Delka was grazing slowly in the dew sodden grass. Link was slightly sore from the all-night ride, and he knew that poor Delka had to be worse off, as he was too old for this kind of thing. Link waited patiently for the morning watch to lower the gate. After they had finished, one came out and approached him curiously.

"Morning," The soldier said. Link nodded back, and went to catch Delka's reins. The soldier watched him as he carefully led the weary horse up the drawbridge. 

"Tired old beast," The soldier continued, following after him. 

Link nodded again, before stopping. "I need to have someone return him to Lon Lon Ranch."

"Lon Lon?" The soldier asked. "Thought so, he has the look of a race horse. Fine, I'll have someone along to take him." Link handed the reins over, and gave Delka a final affectionate pant on the nose, before continuing into town. 

Several traders along with travelers were coming in also, and he filled his time by watching them. Early morning merchants and shopkeepers were already setting up shop and even a few shoppers were out and about. Link passed several small children playing in the town square, and his thoughts turned to the Kokiri who he had been raised among. Had the child-like Hylian running towards him in the corral been a Kokiri? If so, it would make a little more sense to him. If it were some kind of strange memory flashback, then at least he would have a source for this one. 

Again he passed the Bazaar, and now he paused once more. Through a window, he could see the enormous shopkeeper setting up for the day. Shaking his head to clear thoughts of the Hylian shield, he went on, passing several more buildings before he came to the short road to the temple. The Temple of Time was the largest of its kind in the land. It had been built many years ago, shortly after the land of Hyrule had been united under one king. It stood for peace and unity. 

Link walked through the gardens that were cared for by the priests, and met several young people strolling through as well. He came to the foot of the Temple stairs, and craned his neck up to see it. The last time he had been here was when he was a child. He had been wandering around until a storm hit, and had come in to seek shelter from the rain, as no one else would let a wandering wretch like himself in. He could still remember the deep feeling of awe, as the chanting voices from what seemed like above filled his ears and mind. 

Shaking his head again to clear the stray thoughts, he climbed the stairs slowly, and pulled open the heavy wooden door. 

Although the memory was still sharp in his mind, he did not fail to be surprised at the deep, harmonious chanting that seemed to come from the ceiling and walls. As reverently as the situation would allow, he stepped inside onto a plush red carpet, and followed it through a corridor. 

_Untouched by time or chaos..._

The thought came to him suddenly, but he didn't let it surprise him. It wasn't an unusual thought, after all. Somewhere, in fact, it was probably said, or written, and so he must have heard or read it at least once. Relieved that he had yet another answer to the strange riddle that was developing in his mind, he stepped into the main room of the temple, and stopped dead in his tracks. 

It seemed even larger on the inside. The room was enormous, stretching up high above his head to a arched ceiling. Sunlight poured in through stained glass windows, creating colorful designs on the white marble floor. The plush carpet stretched on, until it met with a large stone pedestal of some kind. The whole atmosphere was deep and reverent, and he felt himself relax. 

Link walked further in, and looked around. The temple was empty aside from himself, though, and he decided to wait for the priests' return. He walked up to the stone pedestal, and ran his hands over the three fist-sized depressions in it. The inscription on the front was old, and obviously of some importance. He knelt to read:

Ye who owns 3 Spiritual Stones

Stand with the Ocarina of Time

And play the Song of Time

Link stood up quickly, and felt a chill down his spine. _Relax_, he told himself. It was talking about some long ago legend, that was all. He had never heard of any spiritual stones, and there was probably some ocarina relic that bore the name 'Ocarina of Time'. He gave himself a mental shake to calm his nerves, and then turned away to take a seat on the steps leading up past the pedestal. There was nothing there, but a great stone wall, which was carved with many designs that he quickly grew bored with. He rested his arms on his knees, and waited for the priests return.  


  
*************

The sun was just setting as Link let the heavy temple door slide shut. He was frustrated and perplexed. Where were the priests? He'd waited all day. He sighed, and walked back through the gardens and down the road back to the town. Here, the last of the shoppers were making rounds, and several merchants were closing up shop. 

His plight was getting more and more hopeless now. He hadn't come prepared with rupees, and now looked forward to an uncomfortable night out in the fields. It brought back memories of his childhood when he had done such a thing more than once, and he forcefully pushed the thought away. 

The night watch at the town's front gate gave him a dubious look, but Link paid him no heed, and walked out over the drawbridge before it started to lift. Out in the fields again, he began to walk aimlessly, oblivious to the beautiful sunset. The tall weeds swayed around his legs, and he ignored the faint itch of the saw grass. 

His brooding was cut short though, as in the distance, he heard the unmistakable echo of hooves, racing across the ground. He looked up and around, and saw the shadow of what looked to be a horse, galloping around a grassy knoll in his direction.

At first, Link thought it was another apparition, come to haunt him, but soon, the form was unmistakable. The last rays of the sun reflected off of the rich, deep-golden coat of the Epona, her cream colored mane flowing wildly in the wind. She was riderless, and without saddle, or tack. The wild-looking young horse raced across the high grasses, and upon seeing him, slowed from a gallop to a trot. Her coat was soaked in sweat from the full-pace running, and her sides heaved. Link ran to her, and touched a hand to her neck to ground himself. This _was _real!

Leading her as best he could without a line or equipment, he took her down to the water channel that flowed outside of the high walls of the town. She drank deeply for several minutes, and then brought her head up with a shake and a snort. 

"What happened?" He said to no one in particular, as she was not about to speak. Epona turned towards him and knickered, nudging him in the side. He gently rubbed the sweat-soaked mane, and tried to think. 

If Epona was here, like this, then something must have spooked her to run such a long way. Since no one had come looking for her up till now, Link started to wonder. What had happened? He was worried, but there was nothing to be done now. Epona was too exhausted to make the trip back now, and he was not fast enough on foot. The best he could do was wait it out until morning, when he would make a early start back towards the ranch. 

He tried coaxing Epona to follow him with simple signals and commands, and was both surprised and pleased when she followed willingly. He led her past the water channel and over a bridge to the east of the town, where he found a tall tree to rest under. Laying in-between the thick roots of the tree, he situated himself and his meager supplies to sleep, wondering what the morning would bring. 

*************

The rising sun did not wake him under the shaded branches of the tree, nor did the far away crowing of someone's cuckoo. Instead, it was Epona who ducked under the low limbs of the tree, and began to nibble at his hair. Link came reeling out of sleep at the strange sensation, and woke to find the horse's face inches from his own. 

It startled him slightly, until the events of the day before came back to him, and he stood up and stretched his stiff body. He looked towards the sun rising over distant mountain peaks, and looked to Epona with a fresh determination.

"What about it, Epona?" He said, catching the horse's attention with her name. "Are you ready to carry me back to the ranch?" This was no easy task. Link had never ridden Epona before, although she was not a wild or unbroken horse. She was finicky, and had only let Malon ride her every once in a while around the corral track. Now, Link trailed a hand through her thick mane, and tried to meet her eyes. She danced away from him, and stood, watching him from a distance.

Suddenly, Link felt a strange pull between himself and the horse, and she too must have felt it, for she suddenly turned to peer at him. They stood in a deep taboo for several seconds, before she finally came slowly over to him, and stood by him at the ready. Link felt a deep gratitude for the horse, and tangled one hand through her mane, resting the other on her broad back. He set one foot against the tree, and launched himself up and onto her back. It was strange to ride bareback, but he held on tightly as she moved around a bit to get used to his weight. 

Finally, Epona stilled, and Link leaned forward to pat her neck affectionately. "Good girl," he murmured, feeling an uncanny gratitude for the acceptance. "Good girl."

He tapped his heels lightly against her sides, and she was off, galloping full-paced back across the bridge. The air whistled keenly around his ears, and he lived for the sensation. It was natural to him, this speed, this power. It was as if he was made to ride this horse, and she to carry him. They flew across the long-stretching fields, and Link held on tightly, leaning forward as far as possible until it seemed as though they were one, one strong force, sweeping across a sea of waving grass.

*************

They made good timing, and the gates of the ranch came into view long before the sun started to set. He slowed Epona from a run to a gallop, and then a trot, as he circled the high fence of the ranch. As they rounded back to come to the open gate of the ranch, Link dismounted, stepping back from the horse. 

Epona gave a low knicker, and nudged him in the side again. He patted her nose affectionately. "Stay here, Epona," He whispered, hoping the horse would somehow understand. He turned and entered the high gates, closing them gently behind him. He walked slowly around the bend, dreading what he might find. To his surprise, all seemed well, and he advanced with caution to the barn. Opening the door very slowly, he edged inside, and looked around. All of the horses were out of their stalls, and only old Bessa munched away unworriedly in her stall. Link stepped out again, and walked along the side of the barn. He looked towards the house and saw no lights in the windows, or smoke in the chimney. 

Where was everyone?

Rounding the barn cautiously, he looked out into the corral, and suddenly understood. 

All of the Lon Lon Ranch horses were out in the corral, tide together at the gate. Rascal, for once, was not fighting to get away, but stood unhappily along with the others. There were five people standing out in the center of the corral, and he recognized Malon, Talon, and Ingo in the dying light. The other two were bigger, rougher looking Hylians, and they stood arrogantly in front of the three ranch workers. 

Link's eyes narrowed, and he ducked around the corner, sneaking along the fence towards the feed cellar. He kept his eyes on the two Hylian men, but neither looked in his direction. He slipped inside the feed cellar, and hushed the cow's greeting. The cow gave an indignant huff, and went back to munching on the overturned oats. Link opened the door a crack now, and peered through to assess the seen. 

From here, he could tell that all three of the ranchers were tied up tightly, and had obviously been made to stand for quite a while, for they swayed painfully as the men laughed to themselves, and went through goods they had obviously picked up in the barn. 

Thieves! Link flexed his hands angrily, and looked around quickly, his eyes rested on a broken old pitchfork leaning against the far wall. Just as his hand closed around it, he thought of something else, and left it where it rested. Exiting the building in a crouch, he darted along the fence again, towards the house. Once he reached it, he quickly went inside, and took the stairs in a run. 

The room upstairs was Talon's and Malon's, and was already unkempt and trashed where the two men had obviously gone through it. He gritted his teeth, and began to go through the overturned furniture, hoping against hope that they hadn't found the secret compartment in the floor. Kneeling down, he felt along the wooden floorboards until his hand rested on one that was darker and out of place. He pushed down on one side of it, and it lifted slightly, enough for him to reach another hand under it and lift it.

He put the board aside carefully, and peered down into the dark cache. There, in the weak sunlight that was coming through the shuttered window, he could make out the dull gleam of a blade. 

His heart raced, and he stuck a hand down to feel for the hilt. It was dusty and rough to the touch, but his fingers wrapped around it, and he pulled the sword free from the cobwebs surrounding it. It was heavy to his untried hands, but he relished the feeling as the weapon righted itself in his grip. He brought his left hand around, and spent a moment clasping it. It was natural, just as the shield was. He shook his head in frustration, and left the room at a race, taking the stairs three at a time. 

Outside again, he was suddenly aware of everything. The cool evening wind blowing gently from the south, ruffling his hair and tunic. The now setting sun casting a deep red-orange glow on everything, and his own shadow lengthening to stretch out across the worn grass. There was no sound apart from the faint song of a late bird, and all seemed peaceful for the moment. 

He felt no fear, no trepidation, as he walked calmly out into the open. The men still didn't see him, and would not notice him until he was at the corral gate. Then, they turned quickly, alarmed that they had missed this strong looking young man with the sword. Talon, Malon, and Ingo also turned to look, and Malon gave a cry of fear. 

"Link, watch out, they're armed!"

They were indeed, as the closest thief brandished a wicked looking long-knife, and started towards him. The thief grinned maliciously, and waved the blade in the inexpert way of one who is not used to one-on-one combat. 

Link still felt no fear, where he knew he should have. Here were two armed men, carrying deadly blades. Instead, he suddenly came in a run, and held the old rusty sword in two hands, slashing it around in the empty air in a deadly show. The man took a step back in slight fear, until the other thief egged him on.

"Come on, damn you! He's just a country boy!" 

The man with the long-knife nodded, and licked his lips nervously. He held the blade out in his right hand at an angle, and Link felt suddenly confident that he really wasn't sure of how to use it properly. 

Link leapt in again fearlessly, and energetically swung the blade at his enemy. The thief escaped being slashed across the midsection by a hairsbreadth, and stumbled back, tripping over his own feet to fall. He dropped the blade and cringed. Like all bullies, when faced with one more courageous than he, his false bravado crumpled, and he was afraid. The other thief swore viciously, and drew his own long-knife. He advanced over his fallen partner, giving the man a kick in the side as he did. 

"Coward!" He sneered, and turned his eyes to Link. "Come on, boy," He coaxed. "Let's see if you know how to use that thing." They circled each other cautiously, both sizing up their opponent. 

Link instinctively knew that this man had at least a little experience. Enough though, since Link had never handled a weapon in his life... Or had he? There was a naturalness to it, and a confidence that couldn't have come falsely, for it hadn't failed him yet. But swinging a blade at someone was far different than actually knowing how to use it, and now he would have to be careful. 

The thief made the first move, coming in with a slash and parry move that Link barely guarded, stumbling back clumsily. He cursed himself, and gritted his teeth, resituating the hilt in his now slightly-numbed hands. The thief grinned, and tossed his knife from hand to hand, and Link suddenly saw a weakness. 

Of course! His eyes narrowed. The worst weakness of them all: confidence. If he could only make the thief think that he was even less skilled than he was, then it gave him a chance to go for any opening that the man offered in arrogance. With a new tactic in mind, he set about throwing clumsy moves at the thief, swinging around even more recklessly, but being careful not to get too close. Several times, he fell in though, and received a few slashes in his tunic for his sluggishness, and one met his skin. He grunted in surprise at the pain, for suddenly it brought a burning feeling across his whole body, and he tingled with energy. 

The thief, not noticing any of this, leapt from foot to foot in front of him, feeling very confident indeed. Here was a stubborn fool of a farm boy, trying to defend his family. He obviously had never touched a blade in his life, and was easy pickings. He lowered his guard in a foolish move, taunting the boy again. It was not only foolish, but devastating, and he paid for it quickly, as suddenly, Link seemed to come alive, and fell upon him with slashes that bit deeply into his upheld arms. He tried to parry with the knife, but soon could not take the pressure of the onslaught, and fell to his knees, dropping the blade.

"Mercy!" He sobbed in fear and pain, holding his arms over his head and ducking to shove his face into the flattened earth. 

Link stopped himself abruptly, sword raised above his head in a deadly arc. He lurched forward several feet, and turned to the silently watching ranchers. Slowly, he stumbled towards them, using the suddenly too-heavy sword in his arms to clumsily saw through the ropes that bound them. 

As they loosened the ropes from their stiff bodies, Link took a few more steps towards the prostate thieves, and crumbled to the ground, his body suddenly drained of any energy. The last thing he saw before the world faded to darkness were the remaining rays of the sun, bathing the ground in splashes of what looked familiarly like blood.

*************

Link woke to the sensation of a cool, damp cloth against his forehead. He opened his eyes to see a worried looking Malon sitting on the edge of his old cot. He tried to rise, but she pushed him forcefully back down. 

"No, not this time, Link. You gave us quite a scare." She leaned back and let him at least sit up slightly against his pillow. Talon came over and brought an upturned bucket to sit on, and Ingo hovered nearby, pretending to be busy. 

"Howdy," Talon said, his brows furrowed. "Wanna tell us what that was all about? Tarnations, Link. I knew you was tough, but I didn't know you was _that _tough!" Beside his cot rested the rusty old sword, and Link turned away uneasily. He accepted a small beaker of fresh water, and sipped it slowly. After a moment, he put it down, and turned to them both.

"I think I at least owe you an explanation..." A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Where is Epona? Is she all right?" He started to sit up again, but this time it was Talon who pushed him back down. 

"Don't worry about that stubborn critter. She's all right. Now, go on with what ya were sayin'." 

Link nodded, and began.

The only thing he left out was, again, the weeping in the dreams, and also his visit to the castle in the night. He felt neither had any real meaning, and were not worth mentioning. When he was done, Talon sat back, and scratched his bearded chin thoughtfully.

"Suspicious," The Ranch keeper finally said. "That's what it is. Seems ta me like ya might be in the right about seeing them priests."

"I tried," Link said, "But they were gone. I waited the entire day, and they never appeared. I wonder where they went?"

"Retreat," Malon said quietly, and they both turned to her in surprise. She shrugged. "I listen in on town gossip occasionally, and it seems that they officially go on retreat every couple of months for something or another."

"Mighty inconvenient of them," Talon muttered. Link sighed, and rested his head back against the pillow. He was even farther away from finding out any answers than when he had begun. Now it seemed like he would never understand what was going on. Malon leaned forward though, and grasped his hand.

"Link, don't give up! Think about it... did anything else happen? Anything else at all?"

He looked up to see a suspicious gleam in her eyes, and suddenly felt embarrassed again. She sat up straight.

"I knew it! You went to see the princess, didn't you!" She smiled triumphantly. "I thought you had, but I wasn't really sure, you see." 

Talon looked surprised. "The princess? Of Hyrule? Sake's alive, boy! Why didn't ya say so!"

Link rubbed his face to cover the embarrassment at being caught, and sat up a little more. "I didn't think it mattered," He defended. "She just suggested seeing the priests."

"Just suggested?" Malon said in aggravation. "The fact alone that she listened to your problems and made a suggestion like that is very important! Did she say anything else?"

Link recalled the visit, and nodded. "Well, she kept getting this strange tone in her voice when she asked me things, as though she was being very careful..." He trailed off, and felt a sudden suspicion. Why would Zelda tell him to see the priests if they had officially gone on retreat? Talon slapped his knee in sudden determination, and started to rise. 

"Then by jovey, that's where we're needin' ta go!" 

"Whoa," Link said, holding out a hand to stop him. "This isn't your problem, Talon, or yours Malon. Its my fault that all of this is happening, and I have to take the responsibility alone."

"Yer fault?" Talon boomed. "Now listen here, Link. Yer like family ta me and my young filly here, and ta Ingo too, though the stubborn horse won't admit it." Talon always spoke of people he regarded fondly as equines. "And we ain't gonna let you handle this mess on yer own!"

Link leaned forward, and grasped his hand. "And I thank you for all of the kindness you have shown me Talon, but this is something I must do alone. I feel it might be too dangerous of a journey, and I would never forgive myself if anything happened to any of you." 

Malon looked unhappily at him, but covered her father's other hand to halt any further argument. "He's right, father. This is something he has to do alone." 

Talon looked back and forth and shook his head sadly. 

"Hard-headed young colts, the both of ya," He said, affectionately. He rose then, and began to move about the room to recollect Link's belongings. Malon rose to help him, and Link was left to lay back down, and think of the journey ahead.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey! Disclaimers are in Ch. 1, still! I also want to note that I appreciate all of your feedback, and besides your comments, if you have any questions, ideas, or outraged grumbling, feel free to e-mail or review them. 

Ch. 6

The power which resides in him is new in nature, 

and none but he knows what that is which he can do, 

nor does he know until he has tried.

-Ralph W. Emerson

Link woke early the next morning to sort his supplies together. He was now standing in the barn, and was spending a few last minutes with Epona before he left. He combed her coat slowly, and she whinnied in approval. The other horses snorted jealously at him, but he paid them no mind. 

"Well, this is it, girl. I don't think I'll be seeing you anymore. We had some wild times, huh?"

He turned at the soft knock on the doorsill to see Malon standing with a traveling bag in her hands. It was old, and worn, but Link knew it well. It was the only thing he had been carrying with him when he left Kokiri. Folded over her other arm was a deep green tunic, that was rarely seen around Hyrule. It was his old Kokiri tunic.

"I made some slight modifications yesterday," She said, and set the bag down to hold the tunic up. It was bigger now, and the seams were invisible, showing a truly talented sewer's handiwork. He took it, and felt its soft material with his hands. The scents it carried drifted up to him, bringing memories of his childhood back.

"Thank you, Malon," He said softly, "for everything." She nodded, and suddenly swooped in to hug him. He jumped in surprise, but permitted her the affection. She held on tightly for a moment, and then patted his back none-too-gently, before easing away. 

"Here," she said, handing him the bag and a pair of boots he had never seen before. "I was going to save them for you birthday, but nows a better time than ever." He took all of it with a grateful smile. 

"So now I get to dress up like a homeless tramp again," He said jokingly. "Wonderful."

She laughed through her tears, and wiped them away angrily, finally turning to leave. "Oh, by the way," she said quickly, stopping in the doorway. "Your ride will be waiting outside by the entrance gate when you're finished." She was out the door before he could even look confused, and he shrugged, picking the bag and clothing up to go and change. 

*************

He understood what she had meant only when he finally walked left the high Lon Lon gates, and found Epona, saddled and tacked, grazing lazily in the field. His eyes widened, and he stumbled out towards the horse. He touched her to make sure he wasn't dreaming. 

"She's yours," Said a voice from behind, and he turned to see Talon watching him. 

"Mine?" Link echoed blankly. 

Talon grinned. "That's right. Malon woulda told ya so, but she was too shaken up ta go and say goodbye ta both her best friends at the same darned time. Silly girl." He shrugged, and turned to head back into his ranch. "See ya 'round, Link, and good luck..."

Link watched him leave, and then turned back to Epona, who was now watching her new master interestedly. She stamped a foot impatiently, as if to tell him that time was wasting, and he laughed happily, the first time he had done so in a long time. He swung up into the beautiful leather saddle, and took the well-oiled reins. 

"Hya!" He cried, and Epona started to gallop, until she was again racing across the fields. Behind them, Lon Lon Ranch began to shrink until soon it was merely a blur on the grassy horizon, a memory in the minds of both Hylian and horse.

*************

Link found the rupees in a hidden pocket of his bag, and shook his head, smiling. "Clever Malon. Of course there's more than eighty rupees here," He told Epona conspirationally. "Enough for a fine Hylian shield, and then some." 

However, he skirted the store, and all stores, for he had only one destination in mind. Several people looked curiously at the young man leading a horse through town. He was wearing a deep forest green tunic with a hood, and thick leather riding boots. At his belt, he carried a pouch and a wooden ocarina, and stood out sharply against the rather casually dressed townsfolk.

He walked straight through the town, and gave a sharp nod to any soldier he encountered. They were slightly stunned at his cocky appearance, and only watched as he walked by. Several though had run ahead to the castle to report his approach. For that was indeed the direction he was heading.

He led Epona casually up the Castle road, and only stopped when he reached the gatehouse. 

"Halt!" The guard called out ferociously. "State your name and business!"

"My name is Link, and I'm here to see the princess." 

"Do you have an appointment, or perhaps a royal letter?" 

"No," Link said, "But I do have an ocarina." 

The guard just looked at him, and, misunderstanding the look on purpose, Link unhooked his ocarina and held it out.

"I'm not kidding, see? I have one. So if you would just open this gate-"

The guard whipped his heavy spear up, and brandished the sharp point at level with Link's throat. "Don't play stupid with me boy," He said in a dangerous tone. Link shrugged, and stepped back. 

"Fine, but when your princess wants to know where I am, you'll be the one to explain how you held me up."

The guard glared at him, but went back to his post, and ignored him. 

It was several hours later that a runner finally came down from the castle, out of breath, and told the guard that Link was to be permitted in. The guard gave the unfortunate runner a nasty look, for he had come to dislike the arrogant kid who had been waiting around and getting on his nerves since that morning. He grudgingly tapped his the butt of his spear into the earth three times, and the gate started to creak upward. Link thanked him as cheerfully as he could under the strained situation, and led Epona through. 

It was strange to be going to the castle in broad view, Link thought. The three other times he had come this far, it had been in secrecy. Now though, the guards along the road only gave a him a cursory glance, before facing forward again. He finally approached the castle, and a young servant came to take Epona's reins. Link hesitated, but finally handed them over. Two guards came out to escort him across the draw bridge, and for once, he entered the castle the right way.

*************

Link's soldier escort led him down a hallway away from the main hall of the Castle. They never spoke a word to him, but looked back every once in awhile in controlled curiosity. He ignored them for the most part, and looked around in interest. The hallways here were bare of decorating, aside from the torch-set sconces in the wall, and he wondered just exactly where he was being taken.

His question was answered soon, though, as he was led to a stairway which wound up until he realized they were climbing a tower. It was a long stairway, and he amused himself with wondering how high it would go. Abruptly, though, it ended in front of a heavy oak door, and the guards squeezed past him to return to their posts downstairs. He looked after them for a moment, before stepping forward, and placing a hand on the doorhandle. He hesitated, and then decided knocking would be looked on more graciously. 

Link rapped his knuckles against the solid frame, and waited a moment, until he heard a faint "Enter." 

He opened the door, and stepped in, and was immediately made aware that this had to be Zelda's room. Apart from the obvious fact she was standing in it, it was decorated to show royalty and femininity also. Zelda sat in a chair by the window, and bade Link to come sit by her. He opted not to, though, and instead came to stand in the center of the room, arms crossed. 

She sighed, and rested her hands in her lap.

"I guess I deserve that." She said. When he made no move to speak, she continued. "I never meant to cause you any grief, Link, please believe that. I am here to help all of the people of Hyrule, not to harm them. Do you believe me?"

Link hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. He did, despite everything. She had shown no reason for him to doubt her abilities as a Princess. He stepped forward and took the chair across from her. It was plush and comfortable, and he sank into it with surprised pleasure. She smiled, and leaned forward.

"Link. You have many questions, I know. And I may have some answers for some of them." It was an invitation to start asking, and he did.

"Why all of this secrecy?" He started, and she blinked in surprise.

"Its not secrecy, Link, only discreteness. Would you rather have everyone knowing your troubles?" 

He frowned and leaned back. It did make some sense, though. 

"Okay, then, how is it that you should know some of the answers to my questions?" He had thought a lot about what he had wanted to ask her on the way to the castle, and now asked his questions carefully and planned. 

Zelda seemed to realize this, and she clasped her hands in her lap in anxiety. 

"As you may have heard in rumors before, my family is a direct line of descendants from several powerful mages of the past. We each hold a measure of some magic power in our blood, and mine happens to be prophetic notions. Dreams, visions..." She trailed off, and he nodded, very slowly. "I was faintly aware of some of the dreams you were having, and decided to try and help you if I could. I went to the Royal library, and looked through several books until I could find some information for you."

It seemed legitimate enough to him, and he proceeded. 

"The cloaked man... riding the stallion. Who is he?" 

"Who _was _he, actually," Zelda said, warming up to the question-and-answer session. "He was a prince of the Gerudo, long long ago, during the time of the great war in the land of Hyrule. This was in a time when men still walked among Gerudos, and he was a powerful leader, but very evil. He led many forces against the Hylians, but died eventually, slain by a Hylian fighter wielding a great sword..." She hated to lie, hated to steadily deceive him and lead him away from the truth... But it had to be done. 

"But the flames-"

"Burning villages, towns, and forests. It was a time of horrific battles, Link, in which no one was spared."

He was quiet for a moment, deep in thought. 

"And how is it that I am having these dreams? And that...vision?" 

She relaxed slightly. "I asked the Royal Scholar about that, and we discussed this. He believes, and I have agreed, that through learning my lullaby you may have somehow begun to relay flashes of the past through your dreams and visions. The lullaby, is, after all, passed down from mother to daughter, and I would be surprised if it didn't hold such magic."

He nodded numbly. It all fit, all of it. From the dreams of fire and battle, to the vision of the cloaked figure...

He rose slowly, his mind numbed by all of it. Zelda gave an inward sigh of relief, but at the same time felt unhappy about what she had just done. Was it truly worth it? She shook herself. Of course it was. It was for his own good.

He dragged his feet towards the door, his eyes glazed. She followed, and opened it for him, reaching out to touch his shoulder in compassion. 

"I hope I have helped you, Link."

He nodded weakly, and started down the stairway. All of it had a simple explanation. Everything did. The questions that had blazed in his mind for so many days had suddenly disappeared. His mind blanked out now, and he descended slowly down the steps. 

It did all make sense now... of course it did. She had had all of the answers, all of them... except...

He turned abruptly, to look up at the princess, who had been watching his movement down the stairway.

"Wait," He said, and she looked up in surprise. 

"What is it?"

He stopped, and leaned against the wall. 

"What about all the other stuff from my dreams?" 

She froze, and the expression on her face turned to one of concentration.

"The...other?"

"Yeah," He said as casually as possible, "You said you sensed my dreams..." He let the statement hang in the air. She looked uncomfortable.

"Well, like I said before, Link, I only caught the most important parts from the dreams-"

"You mean the parts that I told you," He guessed shrewdly.

"What?" She was caught off guard, "What do you mean?"

He started back up the stairs, and stood in front of her intimidatingly. He took another quick guess, and hoped his hunch was right. "You're wrong. You didn't 'catch' the most important part, because I never told you about it." 

He saw the look of sudden panic flicker across her face, and was both relieved and angered that he had guessed right. 

"Link, I don't know what you're talking about, please calm down!" 

He pushed her back inside the room, though, and shut the door behind him.

"Sit down," He instructed, pointing towards one of the chairs. She did so slowly. He paced back and forth several times, before finally stopping in front of her.

"Just how much of the things you just told me were a lie?" He hissed. 

She said nothing more, and he turned and started pacing again angrily.

"You can't know what this is like," He finally said. "To have these dreams and visions... Its disturbing not to know what's happening, and _you_ know what's going on. Don't pretend that you don't. Now please," He paused. "Help me find out what's happening to me."

Zelda took a deep breath.

"I can tell you no more than I know, Link. I'm sorry." 

He stood, looking at her disbelievingly. "You lied to me."

She did not look up.

He came forward, and suddenly knelt in front of her, clasping her smaller hands in his own. "Why, Zelda, why?" She said nothing, but squeezed her eyes shut. 

He stood up slowly, backing away, and looked down at her. "I thought I could trust you." 

Zelda did not look up. "I told you," She said, in a shaky voice, "Its all just as I said it was. You're looking into it too deeply, Link." 

He looked away in pain, and turned to take determined strides towards the door. 

She looked up suddenly, panic stricken. 

"Where are you going!" She cried out desperately.

He did not look back, but called over his shoulder as he left. 

"To find someone who _can_ help me."

*************

The confusion was gone, though the questions remained. Yet now he had a clearer picture in his mind. The Princess had lied to him, that much he knew, but that also meant she knew the truth, and she was hiding it. It gave him a sense of purpose, and he now pressed on with a new-found hope. 

*************

"Can't you do anything?" Zelda called out to the Sages, turning around to see all of them. 

"We could try and stop these dreams," Ruto said hopefully. Saria, and Nabooru both nodded in agreement. Impa said nothing. Darunia, however, shook his head gruffly.

"We cannot tamper with what we have already done."

Rauru nodded. "This is true. All of our powers are focused on keeping the Seal to the door of Time closed. To lessen the power on the Seal could have further devastating effects that could prove irreversible."

There was silence for a moment, then Ruto spoke up again.

"Then what should we do? Link's a very determined guy. Now he may never stop until he finds the answers he needs."

"He won't find them," Nabooru said. "There is no one, save us, who has the information he needs." 

Darunia crossed his arms, and thought hard on it for a moment.

"My brother is smart," He thought aloud, "Very smart. How else could he know how to catch you with his questions? Perhaps he was suspicious to begin with."

"But of what?" Zelda pleaded. "What could have made him so suspicious? How could he have these dreams and visions when all of the forces of Hyrule combined came together to stop this from happening?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Impa finally spoke up. 

"What?" Zelda said, as they all turned to look at her. 

"It isn't that we are losing strength or that he is gaining it," She said calmly, "Its that someone here, in this Chamber, is tampering with our flow of power."

*************

The storm came quickly, and from nowhere, as the sun had only been shining brightly in a cloudless sky moments ago. It is one of the freak occurrences that happens unexplainably in Nature, and does not last long in its violent downpour. 

Link, however, found himself caught in the middle of it, and took the rest of the path in a run. They had refused to give Epona back to him, and after he had demanded her back and refused to cooperate, they threw him out. There he had been blocked off by the gatehouse guard and several others from returning, and had started stalking angrily back down the road towards town, needing to regroup. The storm cut off his plans, though, as the town leaders had only minutes ago ordered the gates shut to keep out any large debris flooding might cause. He halted in front of it, and slammed a fist against the gate furiously, as the rain hammered around his shoulders and head, drenching him to the bone in coldness. 

"Could it get any worse?" He groaned, pulling on the gate to no avail. He intwined his arms through the metal cross-hatched bars, and leaned forward, resting his head against it. The rain poured down unmercifully, and the sting of every raindrop on his body seemed to make a jeering sound, until all the sky was filled with mocking laughter. 


	7. Chapter 7

As always, disclaimers are in Ch. 1. 

Ch. 7

He said that everything possessed 

The power to transform itself, or else,

And what meant more, to be transformed.

-Wallace Stevens

The storm, true to its nature, disappeared as quickly as it had inexplicably come. In the west, the sun had begun to set, but its friendly warmth stayed long enough to soak up the cold from his tired bones, and he finally stirred, pushing himself up from the cramped position he'd dozed off in. 

Night had set in now, and he looked around curiously. If the watch had come by here, then they'd obviously seen no need to wake him, and left the gate locked for the night. It would not be opened again until morning, or in the case of an emergency. It was just as well, he hadn't planned on going anywhere without his horse. He untangled his stiff arms from the gate, and stretched his body out, flexing his shoulders until he could move freely again. 

Unfortunately, he could depend on the nightwatch at the castle being heavier than usual, since his official visit. He walked slowly back up the trail, the moon at his left shoulder, and started to develop a plan. 

*************

The hooded figure watched his steady progress back towards the castle from the rooftop above, and rose to follow. 

*************

The plan was not elaborate, nor genius, but he was running out of time. Night would be the only time to make the move, and so he had to work fast. He snuck around the last bend, and crouched to locate the gatehouse guard. 

It seemed like he had been here many times now, and he felt confident he knew the watch system. Still, it wouldn't hurt to spend a moment to make sure. Keeping an eye on the moon's position at intervals, he watched for the rounds the guards would make further up the hill. 

Counting under his breath, he found the three guards directly to his left and right on the higher ground would turn their backs and step away for a time-span of forty five seconds a piece, in different intervals. The first on the left would turn and leave, taking a path higher up the hill, and approximately twelve seconds later, the second guard would turn and go. Then, after another fifteen seconds, the last guard would turn and disappear into the shadows. This also did not count the time it would take for them to get a good distance away, which was about three to four seconds a piece. In order for his plan to work, all three of them would have to be away from their post simultaneously, for more than three to four seconds each. After adding all of the figures in, it would leave him nine seconds to move across a space he roughly calculated to be a four second dart.

Link shook his head in wonder at the plan. It was rash, unpredictable, and sure to fail. 

But perhaps, if this strange power he had been feeling lately would hold out, it just might work.

*************

He made his move just as the moon reached the castle, casting a darker shadow across the road. Carefully, he began to count as the first guard turned slowly, and started to move away. His heart beat quickly as he counted three seconds, and then shifted position at the road-side to observe the next two guards on the higher right ridge. 

Almost ten seconds later, the second guard peered out into the road before him one last time, and slowly turned, stopping for a precious second to say something to his fellow guard. Luckily, Link had thought to calculate this banter in after the second guard had repeatedly done it before, and in twelve seconds he had disappeared also. 

Link counted another three seconds before shifting again, and turned his back to the ridge on the left side of the road in a dangerous move that could cost him the whole operation if the first guard should suddenly decide to return. 

The three second waits had given him an extra two seconds to work, and he peered up at the guard, and counted the full fifteen seconds. This time, the guard did not turn, though, and Link tightened his jaw, calmly waiting. Five seconds later, he finally turned, reluctantly, and left. Link could not wait the three seconds now, and had to make his move. He rose quickly from his crouch, and darted across the empty road towards the guard at the gatehouse. 

The guard was slumped back across the wall, his spear resting on his shoulder, and Link wondered if he had had the luck of finding him sleeping. Suddenly, though, Link's foot slid across several loose rocks, and the sound echoed across the enclosed area of wall and hill. The guard snapped to attention, and stood up straight, peering through the shadows at the form that was approaching quickly. 

Above, on the hilltop, the third guard was also turning to inspect the noise, as he was still within hearing distance of the road. Link gritted his teeth, and put on an extra burst of speed, pile-driving into the surprised gate guard, who only managed to choke out a strangled sound before he hit his head against the wall and crumpled senselessly to the ground.

The third guard jogged back to his position, and squinted down into the shadows of the gate. 

"Hey down there!" He cried out. "Any trouble?" There was a moments pause, in which he almost turned to raise the alarm for help, before a spear poked out from the shadows, and was caught along the blade by the faint beams of moonlight that had made it over the castle wall. The blade waved around a few more times, and then a formed stepped out of the gatehouse and into the shadows, and waved up at him. 

"No trouble!" Link called, lowering his voice to sound older. "Just an owl, or something." 

The guard nodded, and by this time, the first and second had returned. He waved over to them to convey a 'false alarm' signal, and they both nodded, returning to their watchful positions. 

Link did not dare to sigh in relief, for his troubles were not over. Kneeling by the unconscious gate guard, he stripped him of his outer garments and weapons, and then dragged him into the gatehouse room. There, Link folded up his own clothing, and stuck it in the ladder rungs above him. He had nothing to tie the guard with, but hopefully the soldier would not wake for some time, and by then, Link planned to have been gone for quite awhile. 

*************

As luck would have it, the guard's clothing did not fit too loosely, and Link finished the look by pulling the heavy helmet down over his head. The spear was cumbersome, being that it was made for someone twice his weight, but he handled it as best as he could, and he stepped back outside, carefully locking the gate door behind him. By now, the moon had fully disappeared beyond the castle, and it was much darker now, before dawn. 

He trudged back up the road towards the castle, and despite the weight of the armor and the spear, kept his shoulders straight under the curious looks of other guards. Although some watched him pass by, none moved to intercept him, and he arrived at the castle gates un-threatened. The two guards here however, were not so lenient, and one immediately stepped forward.

"Halt," He called, squinting in the dark to try to make out Link's features. It was good that he couldn't, for surely he would have seen the impossibly young features on the face of a guard who was supposed to be a seasoned soldier on high alert watch. 

Link, halted, and leaned on the tall spear, trying to appear bored.

"What are you getting at?" He said as gruffly as possible, "My watch is up."

The guard leaned forward in the dark, but could still not see the face in the helmet. "Why weren't we alerted," He said, peering intently at the shadowy face.

"I just did, didn't I?" Link growled, trying to mimic the tone the guard was using. It would have helped much more if he was older. This was the hardest part of getting in. Beyond here, it would be much easier as he wouldn't be approached directly off-shift. He tensed, suddenly, as the guard took another step forward.

"You're kind of short for an elite soldier," He said in a dangerous voice. Suddenly, the first guard stepped forward, and slapped him on the back.

"By the Triforce, man, relax! He's a bit young, so what? They get younger and fresher every day! As long as he's doing his job, why don't you think about doing yours as well?"

The second guard turned to the first angrily.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Being a pain in the ass, is seems to me," The first one responded in a light tone. "Now come on back, and let the man be. Soldier," He turned to Link, and nodded curtly. Link, relieved, gave a nod back, and stepped past them quickly. Behind him, he could hear the continuation of the argument.

"Its fools like you who keep letting all of those village boys sneak in! I have half a mind to report you!"

"Report me? For what? Not being a nosy idiot enough?"

"That is the last straw, you cad! Come on, put up your dukes!" 

"Oh, so now you want to play, eh? Maybe I should report _you_!"

The voices faded as he walked on, and followed the moat around the castle side. Here, the backdoor of the cellar hall was left unlocked for soldiers changing shifts to come and go. Link remembered this door because the cellar was where Talon used to work after his wife had died. He quit shortly after Link came to stay with them, though, and was forever grateful to go back to his old job. 

Link approached the door, and turned the handle, pushing it inward to let himself inside. In the cellar hall, several brightly lit torches shown down on a group of lounging soldiers. They were playing several gambling games, and one offered to Link to join. He declined the invitation, and wandered farther in, hoping to keep a low profile now that his face was visible in the torch light. He passed the wide cellar doors, and continued down the hallway, hoping that this was the way towards the soldier's quarters, and eventually, the practice field. Here the stables would most likely be kept and he hoped to find Epona there. 

He continued down the hallway for some time, finally ending up in the soldier barracks, where several men were snoring away blissfully and would continue to do so until called for their watch. Link passed them as quietly as possible, and entered another room where equipment was kept, along with an armory. He set the heavy spear down along with others in a row against the wall, and looked around for a lighter weapon. His eyes trailed along different rows of kinds of weapons, from archery bows to practice staffs. He finally stopped at a rack that sported light weight short-swords. 

He picked one up, and let his body do the magic, amazed once again as it seemed to adapt to the feel of the weapon. It was as if he was born to do this. 

_Perhaps I was..._

Link blinked, and shook his head, lowering the sword as he did. This was no time to let his mind drift back to the strange thoughts. Although it seemed to come through for him at the most desperate of times, it was often becoming a handicap now to suddenly have the visions or hear the words in his head. 

He looked around for a scabbard, and found a plain one hanging up on the wall. He took it down and took a moment to clumsily clip it at his waist as he had seen some soldiers do before. When he had finished, he sheathed the sword at his hip, and took a moment to test the feeling. He felt none of the previous strangeness, though, and his shoulders sagged in disappointment. 

Maybe the strange feeling only happened sometimes? Or at key moments or... _or when I'm feeling especially insane_, he thought dryly. 

Resting a hand at the hilt of the sword, he looked around the corner of the next doorway, and then stepped out. This hallway was longer, and had several doors on either side as he walked past. He tried to peer into all of them, but some were closed and locked. At the end of the hallway, there was a larger exit, with double wide oak doors. A light draft of cold night air was coming through the spaces around the door frames. Just as he approached it, one of them swung outward, and a young soldier entered. 

He was tired looking, and yawned loudly as he stepped inside, stretching arms above his head. When he was finished, he spotted Link in surprise, and blinked.

"Hey," He said, "You new here? Haven't seen you around..."

He stepped forward and held out a hand. "I'm Dabura, with the morning watch."

Link automatically held out his own hand, and had it shaken briskly. 

"Link," He said, and then tried to catch a glimpse outside of the door that was slowly creaking shut behind the soldier. Dabura looked behind him, and turned back with a grin.

"You wanting to see that new mount, too? She's a fine one. I think the Captain took her from some kid for himself. Pity," He sniffed, "Thats one Hylian who doesn't know bottoms from tops about horses..." He shrugged, as if to say "That's life," and caught the sight of the sword at Link's hip. 

"Going out for some training?" He asked. "This is a good time. Not too hot, not too cool. I'll join you if you'd like." 

Since Link had only taken the sword for disguise, and had not fully intended to use it, he was caught between immediate denial and interest at how the weapon was used. Finally, he shook his head.

"Just in from a shift," He apologized. "I want to check out that horse, and then hopefully get some shuteye." It was easier to talk to this soldier, as he was obviously younger and fresher than the guards, and thought Link to be, also. Dabura shrugged, and stepped past him. 

"Okay, then, see you around," He called, and Link nodded back, before continuing out onto the field. The field was set up in the far right corner courtyard of the castle. Here, away from the eyes of prying eyes and distractions, the soldiers could train to become elite fighters in the Hyrule military force. At the far corner of the field, the stable loomed in the gray morning light, and it was all Link could do to keep from running headlong towards the tall doorway. 

He stepped inside, and began to search quickly. Shortly, at the far rear corner, in a stall of obviously high position, was Epona. She nickered in delight to see Link, and immediately reached down to nuzzle him. However, upon smelling the sweaty guard's clothing, she snorted, and took a step back. Link chuckled.

"I know what you mean." He said, opening the stall, and reaching in to guide her out. In the back, on a nail, hung the saddle and tack, and the horse blanket was folded neatly on a crate. Link quickly saddled her, and led her out of the stable by the reins, looking around quickly for anyone who could be watching. The courtyard was empty, however, and he was able to keep moving undetected. 

*************

Dawn's light was slowly creeping over the high castle walls, as Link finally made it to the heavy gate that led to outside of the castle. The path from the courtyard to here was well worn by hooves riding over it, and Link had followed it to this gate. He put a hand to Epona's back, and she came to a halt at his side. Despite the situation, her quick obedience and insight into his own needs made him smile. Epona was truly a one of a kind horse. 

He walked over to the small gatehouse built onto the courtyard wall, and tried the door. It was locked, and he gave an exasperated sigh. 

"Can't anything ever be easy?" He muttered, unbuttoning the pouch on the guard's belt to see if he had any keys. Inside was only one key, and he tried it, only to find that it gave him trouble. He tweaked it around in the lock for several full minutes, until it finally turned a half-circle, and the lock clicked as its mechanism unlocked. Link pulled the key out and looked at its strange shape in the growing morning light. He shrugged, and dropped it back into the pouch by the sword at his waist, and opened the door. Inside, the room was cold and drab, and he moved around in the dark, searching for the gate lock mechanism. 

He finally found it set in the wall. It was a handle for pulling that had a system of chains and pulleys connecting it to the gate, and a locked catch to its side for emergency raising and lowering in times of need. He grasped the wooden handle with both hands, and pulled down hard. At first, it refused to budge, but soon slowly started to creak down with a grating sound. Outside, he could hear the chains moving over stone to work as a pulley and raise the gate. It was a heavy, metallic sound, and he winced, running outside to watch as it slowly moved upward. 

Suddenly, he heard a cry from behind him, and whirled around to see a servant running towards him. 

"Stop! Thief!" The voice carried over the still air sharply, and immediately windows, doors, and shutters were thrown open, as the residence of Hyrule castle came alive. 

Link's eyes widened, and he turned to Epona.

"Uh oh," He said, and ran to leap up into the saddle. Grasping the reins, he kneed Epona into a gallop towards the slowly raising gate. Epona, however, seeing that she could not go through the slowly rising gate, cut a sharp turn, almost throwing Link, and ran back the way they had come.

"No, no!" Link cried, now getting a full view of a group of off-duty soldiers running towards him. "The other way, Epona! _The other way_!" He pulled on the reins forcefully, and she grudgingly turned to try the gate again. However, by now, several soldiers were running along the wall above them, and one had halted, drawing a bow.

"Halt!" He bellowed, aiming for Link. 

Behind them, the soldiers were drawing closer, and more residence of the castle were coming out to see the scene.

Link tugged at the reins to keep Epona from turning away from the gates again, and almost halted at the archer's command. He looked up, and saw the arrowhead aimed for his heart. Taking a chance, Link ducked his body down until he was flat against Epona, and kneed her sharply in the ribs. This time, she finally went for the gate, and lowered her head to fit under it. Several arrows sang through the air, but none could find its target of the rider on the back of the swift-footed Epona. 

They cleared the gate with a cry of triumph from Link, and were off down the pathway through the hills before the soldiers could even mount and give chase.

*************

Down the road they traveled, until it gave out, and was no longer flat and worn. Here, Link led Epona away from the trail, and into the foot-hills. His spirits soared at the first true triumph of his life, and he laughed aloud in wonder. It had been strangely thrilling, to sneak through the guard system and to find his way through the castle. And the near escape! 

The only drawback of course, was that he had left his clothing behind, with the ocarina in it... He felt the loss deeply, and dismounted by a clear, cool stream to let Epona cool off. She went to drink from the flowing water as he sat down heavily in her shadow. 

Perhaps there was still a chance he could go back later and get it back? No... he sighed, the guards would find it, and that would be the end of that. His shoulders slumped, and he looked into the water dejectedly at his own reflection.

He looked different...

Link leaned forward, and peered down at his own face. He lifted the now far too heavy helmet from his head, and ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair. It was matted down, and he tried several times to comb it back up, before finally giving in and letting it be. The rest of him looked changed also. He was no longer clothed in the old working tunic he'd used while working with the horses, or the soft shoes he'd worn around the ranch. Now he was wearing heavy chain mail and a short-sword. The clothing of soldiers, not ranchers. It was strange how things could change so quickly. 

Even his eyes seemed different, though he could not really tell how... Only... they seemed older, more thoughtful, almost as if he had somehow aged in the past few days. 

With a sigh, he sat back, and turned his gaze towards the warmth of the rising sun, finally laying down on the stream bank to rest his tired body. This time the dreams were not urgent, nor disturbing: The warm sun pierced through dappled leaves, making dancing patterns on the shadowy forest floor, and he lay back in the thick, soft carpet of grass, and listened contentedly to the music of his childhood...

_Memories... stored forever in the songs that we play, Link._

*************

His waking was peaceful, and he did not immediately rise. The events of the day and night before had worn away his reserves. He had never been so active in his life, not even when rounding up horses with Talon. Finally, hunger called to him, and Link realized he hadn't eaten in several days. It was funny how one could forget the most natural of things under certain circumstances. He rose, and went for Epona's saddle bag, searching through his supplies that had thankfully been undisturbed. In the bottom of the bag was a sealed jar full of Lon Lon milk, and a wrapped package of stale bread and dried meat. He pulled it out gratefully, and ate voraciously. The sun was directly above him now, and he leaned back against a rock by the stream, glad for the rest. Epona was some ways away, grazing lazily in the hilly plain. 

Link let his gaze drift, running over the new scenery around him, until his eyes rested on a flat rock, near Epona's saddle and blanket.

On the rock, rested his folded tunic, boots, and ocarina. 

He stared dumbly at the sight for a moment, before scrambling up and dropping the rest of the bread absentmindedly. Walking over to the rock, he knelt, and touched a hand to the tunic. It was wrinkled and slightly dusty, but unharmed, and he looked at the other objects in amazement.

...How?

Quickly, he started to undress, taking off the outer clothing he'd removed from the guard. He gratefully slipped into his forest tunic, and slipped on the boots and supple leather belt. His money pouch lay almost flat on the rock, and while the money was gone from it, it had nothing else missing, and for that he was grateful.

Finally, he picked up his ocarina, and took a long look at every inch of it, carefully going over the surface and inside for any damage. There was none, however, and he brought it to his lips and blew an experimental note. It came out clear and true, and he turned the instrument over in his hands for some time, finally looking up and around in amazement.

It was impossible. He'd put them all in the ladder rung in the gatehouse. How could they be here now? Suddenly suspicious, he picked up the sword from where he had dropped it, and moved around the campsite. Nothing else had been disturbed though, and he couldn't find tracks anywhere. Deciding to let it be, he re-sheathed the sword into the scabbard, and set it back down on the ground. There was no sense in looking a gift horse in the mouth anyway, right? Right.

Turning to find Epona, he called to her to come to him, and made an exasperated sound when he received a tail-swish in reply. He sighed. Maybe they really needed a break from this constant running around. However, this was no place for a vacation, and he went out into the field to catch her reins. She didn't give much protest, but did thump him in the back with her great head several times in chiding. He saddled her again, and this time hooked the strap of the scabbard around the saddle-horn, making sure it would stay even at full gallop. Finally, Link took the garments of the guard, along with the heavy chain mail, and bundled them up, throwing them into a crack between two large rocks. Last, before he shoved the guard's pouch in, he went through it, and removed the small bread-ration and the strange key. He put both into his own pouch, and took a final stop at the stream-edge to dip the Lon Lon bottle in, and collect the cool, fresh water. There was no telling how long it would take to make a full circle around these hills and head back for town, and he would need all the supplies he could get.

*************

In two long days they had finally come full circle back to the town. It was just in time, for Link had run out of food the night before. He waited outside of the town gate early in the morning until the town watch changed shifts, giving him a interval of time to hopefully get out. It was strange to suddenly become wary of a whole town, he thought, especially one only a week ago he'd been shopping in. 

Link led Epona quietly through the early morning mists, taking it as slow as possible to keep the echo from her shoed hooves from traveling to the sleeping people in the buildings closest to them. He led her around the fountain in the town square, and through the maze of dark, empty market tents. Finally, they approached the drawbridge, and he had never been so glad to see it in all of his life. They slipped out and into the fields just as a soldier was stepping out of the watch house to stretch and take in the morning air. The soldier paused in curiosity, thinking that perhaps he had just seen a boy with a horse disappear into the fog, and perhaps he had not. Since it was chilly and damp out here, and the torches kept it nice and cozy inside, he opted for not, and went back in. 

Link also stopped to breathe in the fresh morning air, feeling alive again after the confinement he'd experienced while up in the hills. Epona seemed to share his sentiments, and neighed happily, before breaking off into a trot across the dew-sodden grass. 

"Hey!" Link called indignantly, chasing after her. She ignored his call however, and pranced away friskily, leading him out into the open, wonderful fields, where soon the sun would rise, and another day would begin. 


	8. Chapter 8

Brace yourself; if not remembering his whole life wasn't bad enough, now Link has to deal with a foe. But please don't get me wrong, these aren't your typical baddies. I like to do things differently (if you haven't already guessed.) 

As always, disclaimers are in Ch. 1. Now go and enjoy.

Ch. 8

It is the Vague and Elusive.

Meet it and you will not see its head. 

Follow it and you will not see its back.

-Lao-tzu

The blades of Domination and Command clashed together, creating an illusion of a dying star, suddenly bursting into hundreds of thousands of specs of light. The wielders of the blades leapt back, and then in again, to create the same effect, oblivious to the heavy power that whirred around them. A dozen times the blades met, sometimes in an arc, sometimes in a thrust. Always they met though, some parrying and some blocking, and sometimes they came together with a force so great it seemed for a moment that they had fused together to become one blade. 

The wielders did not see this, for in them was the fire to clash, and clash they did. They whirled about, ducking and weaving, and threw heavy and sometimes quick moves at the other's blade, seeking to meet again and again. It was a dance, with a deep, burning rhythm that cannot be explained by words or thoughts even, but by only the deepest emotions alone. On and on did this continue, and there was no limit, for there was no time, and neither would fall in exhaust while the other still stood. Finally, after forever and nothing, there came a pounding, a dull thudding, that was not rhythmic, nor beautiful, and the wielders were forced to halt their dance. Around them, the black nothingness finally faded, and a room came into focus, with a chamber door that was being pounded on by a large, insistent fist. 

Together, the wielders halted their blades, and walked to the door. It opened before either could reach for it, and a caped man ducked his tall frame in. He was wicked looking, with the long, narrow features that come to the faces of the evilest of men only. His eyes were yellow, and sharp, and he gazed down his nose at the two boys who had been following the dance waltz of the weapon. Behind him, the door slammed shut with a furious tone, and both boys stepped back in something close to wariness. The man stepped forward, and swished his cape to the side, revealing a long, cruel sword without scabbard. For surely no scabbard could hold the jagged edges of the blade, made for rending flesh to tattered shreds. The blade was an ugly red, tinted from some black magic, and three blood channels ran its length. The serpent-skin hilt was double-handed with a smooth jade stone bound in the pommel. 

One boy of pitch black hair and rodent-like eyes stepped forward. His face was lean and dark with the look that makes men wary, and his smile was cold and damning. He admired the blade openly, but in a casual, uninterested way. His own blade was not as jagged as this man's, but was a long saber, with a serrated edge and double serpent heads at the hilt. It was Command. 

The other boy, who held back slightly, was like the day to the first boy's night. His hair was a shaggy blonde, and his eyes were wide and the color of a clear afternoon's sky. His face was slightly rounded, and his features were soft. He carried a shorter blade than either of the two, but it was a wider cut, and with a heavier metal. The pommel was large and flat to accommodate the greater weight of the blade, but he held it easily in one hand. This was Domination. 

The cloaked man saw all of this, and smiled a twisted and hateful grimace. His lips pulled back as he did to reveal sharp and cruel fangs. The boys both winced involuntarily at the madness in his yellow rat eyes, and neither moved to speak first.

It did not matter. "You are the sons of Majora!" 

Neither spoke, but nodded slowly at the statement. 

The man's grin became even wider, until it looked as if his face would split in half.

"Good!" He drew out the word gleefully. "I have a task for you!"

The dark boy crossed his arms over his chest. 

"Our services do not come cheaply, old fool." He said, eyeing the man up and down in obvious contempt. His brother had made no move to step up, but kept his wide blue eyes on the evil features. 

"Of course." The man said, "Everything has its price! And I offer you a great reward for serving me!" Saying so, he ripped his cloak back, and removed the right arm he'd kept tucked inside. His arm was long and braided with leathery muscles and hazily shining trinkets clasped up and down its length. But what was most fascinating was the insignia stamped on his hand. Though the skin was old and blackish green, a golden symbol shown on it so brightly that both boys had to momentarily glance away. It was a powerful symbol of magic. Three triangles were built up in the shape of a pyramid, and each glowed as fiercely as the next.

"What is it?" The lighter boy said, voice high with awe. He stepped forward, and reached out to touch it. The man jerked hand back into the cloak, and gave him an ugly look of disgust . 

"It is the greatest power you or your blood could ever know!" He snarled maliciously. "But never, never _touch me_!" This was said in a roar, and the boy flinched, and stepped back. The darker boy was unfazed, and he gave the man an equally ugly look. "And? What are you offering, old cur? Hurry, and spit it out."

The man seethed, but did not respond to the insult. Instead, he unfolded his arm again, and removed a map from his belt. Unrolling it, he spread it out for both to see, and two pairs of eyes widened at the contents of the map.

"How would you both like to be kings..." He said in a quiet, dangerous voice. His eyes shown eerily with the madness of demons that danced just below the surface. Both boys peered at the map, running their eyes over the forests, mountains, lakes, and castles. 

"Not too shabby," Said the dark boy, and he leaned back, casually crossing his arms again. "But why would we want a worthless piece of dirt such as this?"

"Because," Now the voice was deep and vicious, "It is a land that holds powers like this symbol you see on my hand... and for the right price, it can all be yours." 

The lighter boy timidly reached out, and touched the map, running his fingers over the landmarks along its plain. 

"What do we have to do?" He finally asked, in a light, shaky voice. 

The baneful looking man smiled in triumph, and let the tattered map fall from his clawed hands. It floated down to the cold, stone floor, and its worn material unrolled, showing the faded, but still visible hand-written title of the map: Hyrule. 

*************

Link paused to look at the sign thoughtfully, and wondered what direction to turn now. North, where he had just come from, was the Castle. To the farther northern land, a place he had only heard of, there were the mountains where the Gorons lived. Closer south of here was the Ranch, and then eventually Lake Hylia. East was the forest, and farther east was the village of the Kokiri. Exactly what was in the west Link was not sure, though he had heard there was an endless desert. 

On a whim, he turned east for Kakariko village. Kakariko was the largest village in Hyrule, and was the home of the famous Carpenter Brothers, and the Cuckoo Lady, who bred rare and exotic kinds of cuckoos for sale. Link had been there once when he was very young, but had not traveled that way since. If there was anyone who could help him, surely he would find out here. He steered Epona in that direction, and they made a good day's journey to the village, located at the base of Death Mountain, a mountain inaptly named, since not a lot of people died or even went there. There, under the village sign, they met the Clock Soldier of Kakariko. 

He was the last remaining guard of the Village where once the great Sheikah had lived in the village with a dozen soldiers to protect it. Those days were long gone, though, and Kakariko village had felt no threats to its well being in a long time. Link walked toward the guard carefully, ready to turn and go if he recognized him. However, the soldier merely gave him a grin, and sang out:

"Ding dong , ding dong! The current time is 15:28!" 

Link blinked at him, but recovered quickly, and greeted the soldier. 

"Thanks for the time. Hey, do you know much about this village?" Link chanced.

"Do I know much about this village!" The soldier boomed. "This _is_ myvillage. Why, I was here when the great Impa watched over the people of Kakariko, and bounced me on her knee when I was only a little Hylian!" 

"Oh," Link balked under the enthusiasm. "Then... I was wondering if you could help me. I'm looking for someone of great wisdom...sort of like..." He thought of the Great Deku Tree in the forest. "A knowledgeable leader... I'm questing for answers." 

The soldier thumped his spear two times on the ground, and produced an even brighter smile. 

"Nope, can't say there is!" He said cheerfully. 

Link made an exasperated sound, and turned to leave. 

"Wait just a moment!" The soldier called. "I said there wasn't one, but I didn't mean there _wasn't _one!"

"What?" Link said, turning around in disbelief at the statement. He was getting a irritated. 

"Up, far up, in the very heart of Death Mountain!" The soldier began dramatically. This was obviously one of his favorite stories. "There is what some people call the wisest of all the leaders of Hyrule! Maybe even more knowledgeable than the King himself! His name is Darunia the Second, and he is the Chief and leader of the Gorons! The great people of the mountains!" He ended the statement in a flourish, and Link felt a spark of hope at the idea that was forming in his mind. 

"Have you met him?" He asked.

"Of course I haven't!" The guard chortled. "No one ever sees him! Some say he is only a myth, others, a ghost of the monster that once lived in the mountain. I say, he is what he is! No one here has actually met him, but I hear he's been to Hyrule Castle several times. Maybe you could go there and-"

"No," Link said quickly. "I'll take your word for it." 

"Great!" The soldier said. "And if you do meet him, see if you can get his autograph for me, okay?" 

Link said that he would try, and entered the village. Despite being an active center of community, the village of Kakariko retained some of its quaintness of younger days, and gave a traveler the feeling of peace and hominess. He passed by several loose cuckoos who hopped about searching for bugs, and ducked around a harried young carpenter being chased by an angry looking old man. On the next rise, there was a large windmill which drew water up from the depths of an old haunted well. It was supposedly built over the place where an erratic man made his house long ago. Now it was merely a tourist attraction. Link took in the wonders of the village slowly, interweaving his way through the cozy little houses. These Hylians were nothing like the townsfolk in Hyrule Castle Town. Here they were a friendlier breed, ready to talk about the weather and how the day was going, and ready to help lost travelers, if that was what was needed.

The villagers greeted him enthusiastically as he passed the houses, and several offered him in for food or a rest. He declined as graciously as possible, and kept moving until he came to the foot of the mountain trail. Here, there was another guard, who, though not as fervent about his post as his counterpart, was friendly enough, and offered Link some advice. 

"Stay to the trail," He warned. "There's all kinds of monsters up the farther you get, and there's a lot of climbing to do also. My idiot brother at the Time Post probably spouted off some nonsense about a lot of mythical stuff, so let me give you the scoop. The Goron people aren't the wisest and the most mysterious people in all of Hyrule, but they are sharp, and they know their stuff. Darunia the Second, I've never met, but if there's any that could help a man in his troubles up there, then he's probably the one."'

This advice was very sound to Link, and he thanked the guard, before starting up the mountain trail and into the unknown. 

Since Link had never taken this trail before, he moved carefully. It seemed the terrain was completely untamed, and he found many places where he had to climb up rock debris to stay on the trail. Several times he was confronted by skulluta-like monsters who scrabbled along the trail, but at seeing his intimidating size, most of them scurried away quickly. Mostly he was usually relieved at this, but on some occasions, he felt a quiet disappointment. Something in him was itching to use the sword he'd taken with him. Keeping his eye on the narrow trail ahead of him as much as possible, he pulled the sword from the scabbard, and tried handling it. The strange feeling from before did not return, but he decided he liked how it felt in his hands, and stopped to practice with it.

It wasn't as heavy as Talon's old sword, but it was more complicated in his grip, and he took several seconds just to get a good hold of it. As he was preparing for a couple of practice swings, there was suddenly a roaring sound, and he looked up in startlement to see a boulder hurling down the path towards him. For a moment, he stared blankly at the sight, but then some instinct kicked in, and he ducked low, flattening his palms against the cool earth, and gathering strength in his legs until it was almost upon him. Then, suddenly, he unleashed the energy from his coiled legs and sprung up and slightly to the side, clearing the boulder by less than a hairsbreadth. It flew under and past him down the trail, and Link hit the ground in a tangle of limbs. 

"Oof!" He wheezed, dragging himself up to look down from where he had come. To his utter amazement, the boulder suddenly stopped in its headlong roll, and unfolded to produce a hulking form of something moving. Link pulled himself up and reached for the sword. The blade had been snapped in half by the creature's rolling, and he picked up the pieces with a frown. _Guess I'm never going to get a chance to practice_, he thought unhappily. Down the trail, the creature had finally risen, and turned to face Link. The features made him drop the blade, and straighten up in surprise.

The Goron, for this was what it was, was at least his own height, and had a rounded, sand colored body, obviously ideal for rolling around like a rock. It's large, wet eyes blinked up at Link, and it then began to run uphill towards him. 

Now, to see a Goron roll is an awesome sight, for they are made to move like the wind and to be unstoppable. But, on two legs is a different matter. They prefer not to do this much, and it is with good reason. A Goron's arms and legs are not normally its greatest tools and can often become burdensome in their small size compared to the heavier, larger body. The Goron ran up the trail in a peculiar amble that made Link immediately forget his anger in face of such a comical sight. It stopped in front of him, and reached out its arms to dust him off with paw-like hands. Link was too surprised to object, and let the Goron dust him off and straighten his tunic.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" It moaned, in a deep, but surprisingly gentle voice. "I did not see you there, good Hylian." It's eyes found Link's broken blade, and it then became even more fretful. "Oh no! Your blade! I've broken it!" 

"No, no, its fine," Link tried to say, but was drowned out.

"You must come with me, as a guest. I will take you to our great city, where the finest sword-maker will fix it for you!" It grabbed Link's hand with a strong grip, and proceeded to drag him up the trail.

Link contented himself with not arguing, as this was where he was headed anyway. Along the way, they saw many more Gorons, some rolling about, and some merely sitting and talking. Soon, a massive cavern came into view, and Link had to halt and stare at its yawning entrance that receded into the dark. 

"Is that..." 

"Oh no," The Goron said, though there was pride in its voice. "That is Dodongo Cave! Where we harvest our best rocks!" That said, he dragged Link onward, and moreso uphill, until they were far above the village, and Link could peer down off the narrow trail to see it far below. Link was glad he was not afraid of heights. But even so, the sheer distance he was traveling up could have made the bravest swoon. He kept his eyes in front of him on his guide to keep from looking down. 

*************

Finally, the Goron led him into a much shorter cave, where it extended into a mountain cavern. This was Goron City, and Link had to stop at the incredible sight. 

The city was composed of many different layers of floors, the first floor being the market and the leader's home. Above, on at least three more floors, were the homes of the Gorons. Several were rolling around the floor walkways, and Link had to jump back to dodge one that came flying by. His guide shook his head at the retreating form, and turned back to Link.

"I am very sorry," He apologized again. "We are not used to such... smaller creatures. Hylians do not come to visit much." 

Link shrugged weakly, and followed him again. Each house or room was a cave in the walls of the cavern, and they passed many before the Goron led him into one that turned out to be carved stone stairs downwards. They followed it down and down until they stepped out and onto the bottom floor. Here, there were more Gorons, mostly milling about and buying things, and one or two providing entertainment through songs or tricks. 

Link stopped and stood about for a bit to enjoy the sights, and the guide left him to go and speak to the Leader. A very small Goron, rolled tightly into a small stone shape, rolled towards Link, and bumped into his leg. Link started, and then looked down to see the shape unroll the present him with a baby Goron. It's large dark eyes blinked up at him, and then it smiled, making little growling sounds at him. 

Link smiled down at it, and knelt to come to its level. Several Goron watched curiously as the Hylian reached out a hand and let the Goron baby grasp it with tiny paws. It tugged on his hand, and he tugged back gently, until it tipped over and rolled into a ball again. Link had never really been around a child so young, and he laughed as it rolled about again and tried its balance. The Gorons watching relaxed, and went on with their business, trusting that the child was safe with him. 

Shortly, his guide came back, though Link was hard-pressed to recognize him until he came right up to him.

"Link," Link introduced, at his uncertain look. The Goron nodded back.

"Come, Link, Great Darunia the Second wants to speak with you. I will take the sword now and see that it is put in the hands of the greatest of our sword-smiths."

Link reluctantly handed the broken parts over, and watched as the Goron ran several feet before it fell forward and into its roll again. 

He turned to look at the ornately flourished doorway. There was a plush, Hylian carpet laid out in front of the door, and two wooden torches on either side. 

He sighed. "Well, here goes nothing." And walked through the door. 

*************

Darunia the Second was not the largest of the Gorons, nor perhaps the strongest, but no Goron could argue that he was the wisest. His father, Darunia, had been a warrior, but Darunia the Second had not followed in his footsteps, and instead had becoming a thinking leader. His room, though of a good size, was sparse aside from some plush carpets like the one in the front door, a few desks, a chair, and a large stone statue in the back, featuring a fearsome looking Goron warrior. 

Darunia the Second greeted Link warmly, and offered him the chair. 

"Greetings! I hope you haven't been offended by your young guide. Rocko can be very enthusiastic sometimes."

"Not at all," Link said, perching on the edge of the large chair self-consciously. 

"Now," Darunia the Second said, "I don't believe in skirting subjects, so let us get right down to it, Link."

At his surprised look, Darunia laughed loudly. "Ho ho ho! Do not look so surprised, young one. I have dreamt that a Hylian boy would come looking for his manhood, and here you are! Your name has only come up now as I was listening at the door while you told it to Rocko."

Link was impressed by the logic, and relaxed slightly. 

"I'm here to find some answers... And I hoped you could help me."

Darunia nodded, and crossed his arms over his massive chest. "I could see it in the way you carry yourself that you are lost. Rocko took the blade that you had to our sword-smith. Tell me, where did you get that blade?"

"It's a Hylian soldier blade, I... stole it from their armory." Link said, feeling slightly embarrassed at the admission. "It isn't that valuable, I don't think..."

Darunia shrugged, "Then our sword-smith will make it valuable. He cannot stand to leave anything alone. Always improving on things! Mind you, I'm not complaining, but one would like ones belongings back every once in a while," He looked at the door in irritation as if expecting the culprit to be there, before turning back to Link.

"I did not foresee a sword in my dream, but you were there, and here you are! Tell me, do you really want the blade back?"

"Yes," Link said with a determination that surprised even him. "I... its mine." He said simply, with a shrug. Darunia nodded. 

"My own father was the same way with his weapon, nobody dared to handle it, not even the sword-smith!" 

"I don't think..." Link trailed off.

"That you are a warrior?" Darunia said shrewdly. "You are, believe me, it is in your eyes. You were born to fight."

Link felt the faint echoing of something deep inside, and shook his head suddenly to disband the odd feeling. 

Darunia watched him intently, and nodded in approval.

"You are the one," He said simply. 

Link looked up at him. "From your dream?"

"And much more," The leader said. "I believe you have a great burden in you, Link, as any warrior must feel at one point in his great life. It is not a coincidence that you have come here." 

Just then, there was a knocking on the door, and it was opened to reveal a young Goron. 

"Leader Darunia," He called out, "Dinner is ready!" 

Darunia turned to Link. "We will speak more of this tomorrow, Link. For now, let us eat, and then I will have someone show you to a place to stay for the night." 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimers are in Ch. 1. Many thanks to the people who have stuck with me in the shaky beginning of this. You should see the romance starting in the next few chapters. A new warning, also. This fic is gonna be long, of its own accord. I'm forseeing many chapters, and new characters, along with baddies and maybe big battles. If you are a light reader, or just can't stand epics, back off. But if you want to stick around and see this thing through with me, g'wan and help yourself. As always, I'd like to hear what you think of the plot, characters, storyline, writing, etc. Email me, or review. 

All right, on to the tale. 

Ch. 9

To-night I stay at the Summit Temple.

Here I could pluck the stars with my hand,

I dare not speak aloud in the silence,

For fear of disturbing the dwellers of heaven.

-Li Po

Though Link had become impatient to find answers, he allowed himself to be pampered and entertained by the Gorons, who were a friendly people by nature. Dinner was something else, as Gorons truly did eat certain rocks they found to be nutritious or delicious. Link was provided with an assortment of food they had gathered from Kakariko village on their last trade day. 

The little Goron who had played with Link earlier that day now came to clamber up into a high chair beside Link, and watched in childish curiosity as he ate. Eventually, the people coaxed him into playing the ocarina, and he did so only slightly grudgingly. He played several Hylian songs, and eventually Zelda's and Malon's songs, to the Goron's delight. They also in turn taught him a few Goron songs, which were hard to play on the ocarina, as they were originally for drums. Link was finally beginning to enjoy himself despite all, and he relaxed that night to sleep on the soft bed they had provided him. Rocko had come by to tell him that his sword was being worked on, and Link lay back to sleep, content that he was finally going to find some of the answers that had been eluding him for so long. 

*************

Darunia the Second was sitting on the floor in the center of his room when Link slipped in very early that next morning. On the tables around him there lay several pots, each exuding a faint wisp of strong incense that was already filling the room. At the Goron Leader's feet there was an ornamental stone pipe that had brilliant carvings down its length. 

Darunia looked up at him when Link came to stand in front of him and blinked blearily, coming out of a trance-like state.

"Greetings," He said. "It is not in the Gorons nature to brood so, but I have often been called an exception to the rule." He smiled, and patted the floor. "Come, sit, little warrior, and let us talk of things."

Link did so, sitting in front of him with his legs akimbo and hands on knees. Darunia lifted the pipe and lit it with a match-stick from one of the incense holders. From the pipe came a stronger, richer smell of earthiness, and Link swayed slightly at the heady feeling it gave him. Darunia breathed deeply of the ceremonial pipe several times, before setting it aside, and turning to Link. His eyes were more focused, and intent, than Link had seen him before, and he straightened up in response.

"Now," Darunia said, "Tell me of your troubles."

*************

Link told him everything he had encountered before he had come, from the dreams and thieves at Lon Lon, to the Princess, her castles guards, and the ocarina returned to him in the fields. It took some time, but Link finally told everything, and with only a slight hesitation, spoke of the weeping.

When he was finished, Darunia nodded slowly. "I saw you pause at the statement of the weeping... It shows you have told no one else of this, and it lets me know you trust me, and for that I thank you."

Link nodded, and waited.

"Link," He finally began. "You are suppressing something deep inside, something perhaps you are afraid of, that has been blocked I believe. By either you, or some greater force. It has become stronger, as your visions and dreams have increased, and it is good that you are here now. I cannot say what could have happened if you had continued on like before, but it could not have been good."

Link leaned forward, his eyebrows furrowed. "Do you think its something bad?"

"Not bad," Darunia said, "Only strong, by the way you suffer from it. Now, let me tell you a story, so that you can relax your stubborn warrior's mind."

Link made a small sound of denial, but fell silent to listen.

"My father, Darunia the Great, was a powerful warrior and leader. He protected his people greatly, and lead them justly. One day, though, he found the mountain awry with monsters, and went to do battle with the fire dragon that resided in the Death Mountain's depths. This monster had awoken after eons as its temporary seal had become weaker, and my father, the descendant of a great fighter before him, took the legendary Goron Hammer, and suppressed the dragon, destroying it in the process." He paused here to rest his chin on one great paw-like hand for a moment, deep in thought, before continuing. "Although he had slain the monster, he had suffered great wounds, and standing upon a large cliff in the Mountain, lay his mighty hammer aside and fell back, in death, into the burning lava, deep below us now. Although the people and myself wept in grief, Darunia came back to me in a vision, and told me that I was not to pursue the path that our ancestors had always taken. He told me I was a leader of wisdom, that I should rule in wisdom, and so I did."

The incense and pipe's powerful fumes had tipped Link into a state between dreaming and awareness, and he could see in his mind's eye the Great Darunia, battling a fire breathing dragon that twisted and turned in the air like a gigantic red serpent. Darunia the Second's voice sounded on in his mind, and he listened to the depth of it. 

"In turning to wisdom, I acquired much knowledge, Link, knowledge of our land, its people, and its secrets. I hold no magic in me, as my people are not a magic race, but I do hold reason, and accountability, and steadfastness, and now, we are going to speak of you, Link."

Link nodded slowly, opening one eye. "Is this stuff harmful?"

He heard the Chief Goron chuckle. 

"No, it is of the earth, and is only used to clear the mind's eye. I can see that you are not easily relaxed, but I will continue, as this is the best I believe I will get."

Link nodded again, and closed his eyes. 

"What interests me are the things that you feel, now, deep inside. Is it there, Link, this strange power, can you find it?"

"I...think..." He concentrated hard, and tried to visualize reaching deep inside of himself to understand. "I..." It was suddenly too much, and he fell back in a tired faint. He came around quickly, though, as Darunia hauled him up with a smile.

"I forgot," He apologized, "Warriors are all the same. You do not see inside of yourselves as well as you should, so focused you are on the outside."

The spell was broken, and Link found himself able to focus fully on the Goron before him.

"I do not have the true answer to what it is you seek, Link," Darunia said regretfully. "It is something in you, fighting to get out. Much like the want of knowledge that once fought inside of me to get out. It has started to awaken, in you, Link. Tell me, when did you start having these dreams?"

Link thought back. "A month or so ago, I suppose. They started only faintly and didn't become nightmares until much later." 

Darunia nodded to himself. "My advice to you, Link, is to not fight it so much-"

"But I-"  
"And to start fighting for it," He continued. "For only when you open yourself to it, will you be at peace."

"The princess lied to me," Link said impatiently, "She knows something, or she's done something..."

"Young Zelda is not your enemy, young Hylian. For her it is also hard. In this time in her life she is leaving her childhood to embrace her destiny that will someday be the Queen of Hyrule. It is a heavy burden for any person."

"But she knows something," Link persisted. 

"Perhaps she keeps it from you to protect you, Link. As you have told me, I think she did not mean to hurt you."

"Well she did," Link murmured angrily. "And she's making it worse by keeping it from me."

"True," Darunia said thoughtfully. He then rose to his full height, and retreated to one of the farthest desks, where he picked up a heavy scroll and brought it back. 

"This is something I was studying earlier this morning. It seems to hold a legend of the Triforce, something to do with a force called 'The Six Sages of-'". He halted his speech after he had unrolled the scroll. Link had looked up into the Golden Triforce, and then to the six brightly colored shapes encircling it, and then had tipped back, as if under the incense burner's smoke again, and all the world faded to black.

*************

"_You passed out_," Came the faint voice. 

"I...did?" He murmured through cracked lips, trying to open his eyes. The air was cool around him, and it was silent, aside from the almost inaudible breathing above him. His head hurt, and his body ached. 

"I'm...okay now..." He said, "Just... I was climbing to get...um..." He wanted to feel around for something he'd dropped, but could not remember what.

"_Flowers_..." The voice was becoming even fainter. "_For_..._me_?" 

"Um," He was embarrassed and confused, and tried opening his eyes. His whole body jerked as the world exploded like a sunburst, and light invaded his widened pupils, forcing him to squeeze his eyelids shut tightly and to turn away. 

"_Link_! _Don't_..." It faded to darkness, though, and he felt himself drifting away into emptiness, the only comfort to him the faint rustling of the wind around his suspended body...

*************

"Link...Link! Awaken now, young Hylian. It is time to return to the world of waking!" 

He was dimly aware of being shaken repeatedly, and it increased until he opened his eyes and remembered where he was.

"I..." He said weakly, standing up carefully to look fully at Darunia. "I...had another dream." 

Darunia was frowning in worry, but nodded. Link picked up the scroll he had dropped, and unrolled it to see the symbols again. Around the edges of the parchment were burnt a pitch-black, and the rest was worn and tattered.

"Where did you get this?" Link asked after a time of studying the shapes.

"From my father," Darunia said quietly. "When he returned. I always thought of it as a final story of his to keep, but now I see it does have some greater meaning. It represents the Triforce, the three Goddesses, and the Sages of the Land."

He sighed. "I have read it many times, and know it by heart. And in my heart, and not my mind, do I believe that my father was telling me something, and now I know."

Link dragged his eyes away from the scroll. "What is it?"

Darunia touched a symbol on the scroll gently. "That my father is now one of those Sages."

*************

Later in the afternoon, Link made his way up the rest of the mountain path, led by Rocko again, to the place where the sword-maker, called Biggoron, lived. Link tipped his head back to see the sheer size of the rock wall in front of him. 

"What am I supposed to do?" He asked in surprise.

"Climb," Rocko grinned. "We cannot take this route, but Hylians can."

"And he lives up here alone?" Link asked.

"Of course!" Rocko said, "Who else could?"

Link looked back in confusion, but Rocko had already excused himself, and had rolled away after a pack of Goron's his age to go hang out at the mountain base. Link shrugged to himself, and looked up the steep wall.

"Well," He muttered, "here goes nothing." 

*************

The mountain side had grooves carved into it for the sole purpose of climbing, and he scaled it without a lot of trouble. It wasn't long before he was scrabbling over the side, and up onto the peak of Danger Mountain.

He almost let go, though, upon seeing Biggoron.

"Oh..." He mouthed weakly.

Biggoron's name was an understatement. He was _immense_! High, high above he towered over Link, his upper body showing above the mountain side. He blinked down at Link, his enormous eyes the size of the wheels on a wagon. Link finally recovered as best as he could for the moment, and dragged himself over the edge. He stood to dust off his tunic, and then tipped his head straight up to see Biggoron. The Goron grinned at him, showing enormous teeth and a mouth that really could have swallowed him in one bite. Biggoron, however, only brought out an enormous paw-like hand. 

"Heyyyyyyyy," He boomed. Link placed a hand over his hood in pure wonder. 

"Hello!" Link called upwards, stepping fully up on the slope to get a better look at the sword-smith. 

"Yoooooou'll be wanting yourrrrrr sworrrrrrrrd," Biggoron thundered. "It was verrrrrrrry plain, and ssssssso I made a fewwwww adjustments. Itsssss not finished yyyyyyet, though." 

Link looked surprised. "Adjustments? Oh...okay. Um... when do you think it will be finished?"

"Ssssssssoon," The giant Goron called down in his massive voice. "Beeeeeee patient!"

Link's shoulders sagged, and he realized what Darunia had meant by the sword-smiths tendency to tamper. He bade the sword-smith goodbye, and climbed back down the rock face and headed down the trail aimlessly, thinking. He thought of Epona, who he had left with a friendly villager, and wondered how she was doing. He thought of his friends at Lon Lon Ranch, and worried about how Rascal was behaving and if Malon had managed to tame him. He thought of Zelda and wondered how she felt about the destiny she had been born into. And lastly, in an afterthought, he thought of himself. What had become of him? He had been a ranch hand not so long ago, working with the horses and helping Talon with his special cuckoos. Now so much had changed. He never thought he would be here, where he was now, doing the things he was doing.

Was Darunia right? Was he suppressing something? All of his life there had been something... _something _out of place, but it had never been a serious want, and he had never desired anything more than the humble home that he had made among friends at the ranch. Only around a month ago did he start to dream, and to see things... Had something awakened in him? Was it magic? A spell? ...A curse?

Link frowned, and sat down on a rock jutting from the mountain wall. He rested his elbows on his knees, and suddenly felt like he was being watched. He looked up and around himself. 

...Nothing.

Had he been expecting something to be there?

Or someone?

His thoughts drifted to the Kokiri, and their fairies, who followed them everywhere. Had he been thinking about fairies again? It had been a long time since he'd let himself brood on things so far in the past. Link sighed, stretching his tired arms out, and reached to his side, behind the empty scabbard, to pull out his ocarina. The instrument was slightly dusty from the days work, and he brushed it off gently. 

He put it to his lips, and tried a note. The chord quavered in the sun-warmed air, and then died away. He fixed his fingers on it, and began to play. 

After the initial warm-up, the notes came easily to him, and he played them, running through all of the songs he knew, the songs he had learned, and songs yet to be made. He let the notes go, trickling out into the air on the breeze, and echoing down the rocky path below him. Link paid no attention to the time, nor where he was, and let himself play until the his grip laxed, his breathing slowed, and he slumped forward in sleep. The day had been long and trying, and he did not wake as he slipped forward off the stoop, nor did he stir when he was caught in the arms of a dark, hooded figure, and gently lowered to the ground. 

*************

That night, curled up on the sun-warmed rocky trail, Link dreamed a disturbing dream in which he was trying to fend off a headless serpent-like dragon from Darunia, and in the distance, Gorons were one-by-one drowning themselves in a lake of raging fire. 

*************

He rose with the sun, and stretched the kinks out of his stiff body out, looking around with mild curiosity at where he had fallen asleep. At this point, Link was beyond caring about where he slept, and he took it in stride, turning to head back towards Goron City where he wondered if he could find some palatable breakfast.

Several Gorons spotted him and bade him good-morning, and he waved back with a slight grin. It was strange to spend so long in such a populated place. Sitting in the mess area on the bottom city floor, he looked up to see Darunia enter, and look around for a moment. The Goron Chief spotted him, and ambled over to him to take a seat.

"Good morning, young Link. Did you find a good spot to sleep last night?"

The wise Ruler was gone, and in his place once again was the gentle and thoughtful leader who led the Gorons. Darunia's dark eyes twinkled with humor, and Link grinned back.

"I was tired," He explained. "I guess I just... fell asleep."

Darunia nodded, and helped himself to some rocks piled on a platter. Link watched in bemused silence as he chomped on them with enjoyment. The Goron looked at him and winked.

"Best stuff here, young fighter. Makes you big and strong. I noticed you didn't come back with your sword... Any troubles?"

Link sipped from a mug of mountain cider and hid his grin. "You were right about that sword-maker. When he puts his mind to something, there's nothing that stops him."

Darunia nodded. "I still haven't gotten my ceremonial throne chair back!"

*************

After breakfast, Link followed Darunia and several of the older Goron's up to the top of the mountain again to watch the young Gorons race.

"How often do you hold these races?" Link asked, looking around at the young racer getting ready. Each had a numbered cloth rapped around his or her middle, and they were lining up now in order.

"Every chance we get," One young racer called out to Link, grinning. Darunia nodded, "Its usually a yearly event, but the weather is right today, and the young ones are anxious to show off." He took a seat with the older Gorons to watch the race. Several children who were too young yet to enter the races came up to Link, and started to tug playfully on his tunic.

"Whassat?" One small one squeaked, tugging on the thick green material. Link grinned. "It's my tunic, I have to wear it."

The little Goron looked up in puzzlement. "Why?"

"Because..." Link shrugged. "Thats just what Hylians do. Pretty weird sounding to you I bet."

The little Goron giggled, and lost its balance, falling back into a roll. Another young Goron came up, though he was older than the first.

"Hey! I heard you had a sword!"

"That's right," Link said. "Biggoron's working on it now."

"Wow," the young one said, "Are you a warrior?"

"Sure," Link responded, not wanting to disappoint him. 

The Goron child grinned, and looked around, its eyes suddenly lighting up. "Hey! Why don't you join in the races!" There was a sudden whoop from several young Gorons, and even some racers, at the idea. They were delighted, and began a cheer.

"Link, Link, Link!"

He looked around helplessly for a way out, and found Darunia grinning at him from his perch. 

"I believe you've put your foot into it, young Link." He said, with a shrug. 

"Wait, I-" 

"Don't worry!" Darunia called, as the racers caught hold of him. "It should not be dangerous! Just follow the racers on the trail!"

"But-" Link called back as they herded him to the line. "I can't roll!"

"You look tough enough," One cocky young racer about Link's age said. "Just try to keep up." He grinned at Link, and Link frowned, feeling his competitive spirit start to rise. He allowed two young Goron girls to wrap a cloth around him with the last number on it, and looked around to try and psyche himself up. _I'm a Hylian ranch hand who's about to try his roll in a Goron Race_, he thought without elation. Several racers came by to pat him enthusiastically on the back, and he gave Darunia a long-suffering look, which was greeted with a smile.

"Remember, Link," He called out. "When the power comes, do not fight it! Become one with it, embrace it!"

Link tried to say something over the stamping of the excited racers' feet, but could not be heard. Instead, he removed his scabbard and ocarina, and gave them to a young Goron nearby.

"Hold these!" He yelled to be heard, and the young Goron nodded, stepping back. Link turned and rolled his shoulders, forcefully pushing back his disbelief of what he was about to do. Down the line, the arrogant racer from before leaned down, and peered over at him. 

"Get ready to eat dirt!" The surly Goron said, to most of the other Gorons' consternation. They were not an arrogant race by nature. Link ignored him, and concentrated on the path ahead of him. When the echo of the gong sounded in his ears, he stooped into a shaky lunge, and was off in the start of the race.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimers are Ch. 1. Some of you were wondering about the story "As You Like It", and what happened to it. Fanfiction.net removed the story on the premises that it did not follow the site rules. Basically, someone decided that the story, characters, etc., had nothing to do with Zelda, or affiliates. Unfortunately, I wrote the story on the spur of the moment, and since I didn't foresee the trouble, I have no backup. Ah well, such is life. 

Ch. 10

I feel

The link of nature draw me: flesh of flesh,

Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state

Mine shall never be parted, bliss or woe.

-John Milton

The first initial scrabble for take-off gave Link a head-start since he had not planned to try his luck in rolling. However, once the Gorons had achieved bolder-form, they came roaring down the path at an incredible speed, making him lunge out of the way for his life. The lead flew past him, and he jumped up from where he had fallen to give chase on two legs. The trail was smooth and packed from years of racing, and he found himself hard-pressed to keep from over-balancing. Several of the slower racers tried to pass him, and suddenly one hit him in the legs, and he found himself flying through the air down the path, before he it hit with a thud, and began to tumble ungainly down the trail. At this rate, surprisingly, Link caught up with several racers, and was hit again, this time almost being run-over. 

There was a sudden rumble of rock, and he scrabbled to a stop to catch sight of a slide of mountain debris, loosened by the vibration of many Gorons' rolling, shooting down the trail behind the racers. 

Link wondered aimlessly if this was part of the challenge, and gained his feet to turn and run headlong down the trail, turning a sharp corner in the inclined plane to follow it. Some of the racers were naturally slowed by this turn, and he was able to catch up in his awkward half-tumble half-run. Several of the smaller, faster rocks from the land-slide caught up with him, and he winced under the sharp stinging. However, his blood was boiling competitively, and he ignored it, focusing on the trail. The sharp turns and climbs in the road were ideal for him to get one-up on the racers who relied on rolling on an inclined path, and he scrabbled fiercely with them to stay in the lead. Nevertheless, the Gorons' smooth, round shape made it easier on the straight, down-hill paths, though, and he felt himself falling behind. It did not help either when once again he was knocked from his feet by a competitive racer, and this time tumbled to a painful halt against a jutting rock in the trail. 

Link had only a short time to feel the sting of it, before the roaring behind him became deafening, and the rock slide was upon him. 

Suddenly, Link had an outrageous idea. Instead of dismissing it, he fueled it, and fought, stumbling through the first layer of fast moving shrapnel to lunge for the side of the trail. A larger rock flew through the air and hit him agonizingly in the shoulder, but he pressed on, ignoring the pummel of sharp debris, and scrabbled up the side of the trail, which was lined and packed with boulders made to halt racers from tipping over into the bottom-less drop below. He reeled on the edge for one breathless moment, before falling back and catching his balance. Once he had gained his footing, he began to run head-long down the side-lines, forcefully pushing thoughts away of the long drop on his right side. At this rate, he knew he could never catch up to the race, and he began searching among the fast-moving rock-slide for something to aid himself with.

There, amid the rapidly moving boulders and rocks, a flat piece of shale came into view for a moment, and he leapt recklessly for it. Link knew instinctively mid-air that he would not reach it, though, and tucked himself into a ball at the last minute. He was dragged almost underneath a mass of debris, but somehow managed to pull free. Several rocks hit him forcefully, and he was pressed to keep moving in a stumbling run with the slide. However, he caught sight of the shale again, which had miraculously not been crushed, and lunged desperately for it again through the dust-choked air. His left hand closed over the sharp side of it, and he ignored its biting edge, instead dragging it towards him. 

He lost his balance once, and was hit by a small boulder, and almost stayed down. However, to stay down would have meant death, and he forcefully lunged forward again, tripping and slipping over the first layer of debris. It was impossible to stay here for long, and he knew that soon he would fall again. Pushing the long piece of shale out in front of him, he shoved it to the ground beneath the fast-paced rubble, and jumped on to the back in one unsteady motion that almost cost him his balance. Years of riding horses paid off, though, and he straightened his body as best as possible, holding out his arms as he eased up again. The shale held out, and he adapted it like a craft on rough waters. It held itself over the dirt and rocks, and he was able to ride it out down the trail at an alarming speed, surfing the dangerous waves with a natural talent. 

Twice he thought he caught sight of something dark and material out of the corner of his eye, but he was hard-pressed to pay attention to his own safety, and did not have time to look over fully. The roaring of the wind in his ears and around his face might have been exhilarating, but he was training every muscle in his body to the down-hill rush of the slide. Up ahead, Link caught sight of an even sharper turn in the path, and he knew that he could not maneuver it like this. Instead he focused his senses on it, and began to crouch tentatively down for the dive he would take. All too soon, the slide was upon it, and he lunged forward where the trail ended, clearing the debris which would have dragged him down to death. 

He hung suspended in mid air, his legs brought up to his chest, and the shale board under him hovering with the force of the leap. 

As if the world had frozen in time, the Gorons on the sidelines below watched in awe as the flying Hylian slowly brought his legs down to touch the shale, and then everything speeded up again as he tipped forward, and seemed to glide down onto the trail, hitting it hard and losing his balance on the flat rock in a tumble. However, the terrific leap from the path had put him ahead of the other racers, and now, with adrenaline pumping, he let them catch up, pulling himself out of the awkward fall to catch one of the racer's on the side, and pulled himself up onto its back. There he balanced himself with the roll by kicking his legs out before jumping haphazardly to another racer's back. He did this several times as they flew in towards the end-point, before suddenly launching into the air, amid the startled cries of the watching Gorons. Flipping mid-air, he came down in a run, before tucking himself into a neat roll ahead of the line, and flew past the end-point like a small, green-colored rock. 

The Gorons on the side-lines set up a sudden deafening roar of cheering, and the very mountain shook with their triumphant cries. They surrounded him in one great mob as he slid to a halt, and lifted his aching body into the air, and for the moment he didn't care that he was bleeding and his bones were broken. The racers came rolling in, and they too rushed forward to hoist him up. It did not matter if they had gotten second or third place, only that a Hylian had come to race them, and had proven his worth. He was brought around until he saw the young arrogant Goron from before.

"You _are _a warrior!" The young racer cried, eyes widened in awe, and Link's reply could not be heard above the roaring chant of the crowd.

"LINK! LINK! LINK!"

Darunia came up, and ordered them to let him down. He was gently settled on the ground, where he lay in pain as the adrenaline rush wore away. They quieted down a bit to where Darunia could finally hear Link.

"I didn't know I could do that," Link mumbled as loudly as he could muster to be heard.

"Sometimes we never know what we can do until we try, my friend." Darunia said softly, and Link was utterly amazed at the tears he saw in the great Goron's eyes. "He's hurt," Someone cried. "Take him to the infirmary!". 

Link felt many strong arms lift him, and he felt himself drift towards unconsciousness.

"Wait..." He said, and he turned painfully towards Darunia. "I saw...something...someone..."

But all he received was a worried look as his eyes drifted shut and he fell unconscious in the Gorons' steady grip.

*************

He was awoken by a steady pressure on his arm, and he tried to turn his head to see the blurry shape leaning over him.

"Hello again, young warrior." Darunia said. Link tried to sit up, but his body ached and he felt sick. "Do not try to move," Darunia warned. "You took quite a beating, and by all accounts you should not have waken up so soon." Link tried to nod, but regretted the move, as his head felt like a thousand sharp needles were shooting around inside of it.

"What happened..." He groaned, trying to foggily remember the events of the day. Darunia finished tying the bandage around his arm. 

"You took one too many tumbles, and broke a couple of bones." He sighed, in the heavy, moanful way that Gorons do. "I should have never let you do that, it was foolish to think that no one would be hurt."

"I wasn't expecting the... rocks," Link said groggily. Darunia chuckled, and nodded, stepping around to pick up a mug of something steaming. Link eyed it warily as he brought over. 

"Here," Darunia said. 

"What is it?" Link said, trying to lean away.

"A sleeping drought. You need to mend these wounds, and, no offense, but you're a very active young creature."

Link took the mug warily, and sipped from it. The mixture was pleasant, though, and very minty, and he drank as much as he could before it started to kick in. He sank back into the make-shift bed with a slightly alarmed, slightly drowsy look. Darunia took the mug back, and turned to leave.

"Wait..." Link muttered, already feeling the effects of the drought. "I saw...something...today... I-"

"Hush, young warrior. You have worried enough today, and now is the time to rest."

"But...I..." Link's eyes drifted shut, though, and his body went limp as he succumbed to the powerful pull of the potion. Darunia shook his head. 

"Warriors... all the same. Always fighting against the very thing they need." He put out the torch in the rock wall, and ambled out, leaving the young Hylian to slip into a deep, exhausted sleep. 

*************

The blindingly hot sunlight beat down upon his bare, burned back, and he shifted again to find the shade he'd lost. The sun-blanched blue tunic above him was stretched out between two closely intwined trees to provide the shade, and he stretched a hand up in confusion towards the odd-colored clothing. _My tunic isn't..._

Suddenly, the wind started to howl, and he leaped up just as the tunic began to loosen itself. He snatched it from the trees with his left hand, and reached his right hand behind his back to grab...

_No... go back, Link! _

What?

_..._

Who said that!

A sand storm rose up in a deadly wave in the fiercely whipping wind, and engulfed him as he stood staring up at it. The burn of the sand hit him and he twisted in agony as his whole being seemed to catch fire and suddenly combust. Around him, the world twisted violently, and he found himself struggling to breathe in the thick sand surrounding him.

Just as he thought he would suffocate, he remembered something Darunia the Second had said, and clung to it.

"_When the power comes, do not fight it!_"

__

It went against his nature to not fight it, but in his confused dream-state mind, he could not tell the difference between true death and dream death, and so to live, he knew he had to give into it. As quickly as it had come, the storm ceased, and he fell from the sky onto the hard, rocky ground. He scrabbled up, and looked around him, brushing the thick sand away. Laughter rang in the distance. The deep, mocking laughter that had haunted him. Link gritted his teeth, and stood up. 

You! He wanted to cry, though he had no voice. 

The laughter grew louder and he had to cover his ears to block out the deafening sound. Louder and louder it became, until it was all he knew, and he sank down onto his knees. Slowly he tried to give in, to relax, though all of his senses screamed for him to fight, and slowly, very slowly, it started to ease. Finally, he had let his body ease, slumping down toward the ground in the hot, dry wind, and the laughter had all but faded. 

Link closed his eyes, and swayed in the wind gently. 

"_Sleep_," Said a soothing voice, and he embraced it. 

*************

When Rocko came in to see him, Link was sitting up in the bed. The young Goron now looked at him with a new kind of awe. 

"Stop it," Link chided him. "I'm not any different than the Hylian guy you almost ran over."

"You are, Link!" The Goron said. "And to think that you are alive and well after all of that... and you won!"

"I won?" Link was confused.

"Don't you remember?" The young Goron said. "And no one disagreed. It was voted on by all that you won the race. The judges said they had never seen anything like it. You rolled, Link!"

Link winced. "I think I remember that." The young Goron grinned again, and as if remember something, thumped himself on the head, and ambled over to pick up a package he'd left at the infirmary opening. He lugged it up, and onto the bed beside Link, who looked at it blankly.

"Your sword," Rocko provided. "Biggoron worked quickly to finish it once he had heard about the race. He said that now you will really need it!"

Link unwrapped the blade with his one good hand, the other being in a sling. Inside of the cloth lay the sword he had taken from the armory, only it wasn't the same anymore. His eyes widened, along with Rocko's.

"Ah!" Rocko cried, slightly jealous of his friend's weapon. Link could only stare back at the beaten and worn reflection in the steel blade. His face was cut up, and bruised, and his eyes were tired, but... 

But confident. Because he'd found an answer to one of his questions at least, and that... made all the difference. 

*************

Link was restless while his bones and body mended, and he often proved to be a bad patient when Darunia came to check on him. 

"I have things to do!" He called out angrily on several occasions. 

"What things have you to do?" Darunia would always say patiently. "You have bones to mend, thats what you have. Now sit still." 

And so day in and day out Link stayed in the bed, though now, in the silence between meals, and visitors, he had time to think. And he had never thought so much in his life. He analyzed himself, and the life he had lead, and questioned his own beliefs and ideas. Also, he thought about the dreams and the visions, and what Darunia had said, and began to put together his own theory about it. 

On the fifteenth day of lying dormant, Link could take it no more, and snuck out to stretch his stiff and weakened body. He took a Deku staff that lay by the infirmary opening, and walked out of the city and into the sunlight. It felt good on his chilled skin, and he tipped his head back in a rare moment of enjoyment. 

The moment was broken though, when he caught something dark out of the corner of his eye, and twisted around to see it. His body protested to movement painfully, and he winced. However, there was nothing there, and he looked around. Making sure there were no Gorons around first, he began to walk to a perimeter along the trail he was on.

"I know you're there," He finally called out, keeping his eyes alert for any more movement. "I don't think you're here to hurt me, or you would have already... I just want to know who you are."

The silence was complete, though, and he sighed. "At least... a sign, or something, that I'm not going crazy, that there really is more to this... That's all I ask of you... please." The silence began to jar on his senses, and he felt the beginnings of a fierce headache. He touched the bandage on his head carefully, and winced. It was ridiculous to think he was well enough to be out here. _I really am just a fool_, he thought bitterly. _Chasing his shadow again. _He leaned on the staff, and turned back towards the opening that led to the city, missing the shadow that stretched out from the ledge above him. 

*************

When he returned back to the infirmary, he was met by a stern looking Darunia. "How do you expect to recover if you are not at least trying?" He chided Link. Link collapsed onto the bed.

"I have been trying!" He snapped, feeling the headache full force now. He sighed, and lay his head back against the cool pillow, and sighed. "Thats all I've been doing, and its not getting me anywhere..."

Darunia snorted, and came up to stand beside him. He reached out a paw-like hand, and gently tapped Link on the head.

"Ow!" Link yelped, glaring up at him. "What was that for!"

Darunia frowned. "For being foolish. "Do not even consider giving up now, young warrior, it has only just begun."

"Only just begun?" Link hissed, sitting up on the cot. "It hasn't just begun! It's been going on for what seems like forever!" He pulled himself up on shaky legs. "And now its time to end it!"

"Oh? How are you going to do that?" Darunia scowled. "Are you going to hobble back to Hyrule Castle, storm the gate, and attack the princess?"

"If that's what it takes!" Link growled, reaching for the blade that rested by the caught. Darunia beat him to it, and snatched the blade up, bringing the tip to rest at the base of Link's throat.

"I have always believed that things could be worked out without violence, my friend, do not make me a liar now."

"I bet you don't even know how to use that!" Link spat in contempt.

"Would you stake your life on that?" Darunia said, in a deep, dangerous tone. Link hesitated. "Now, please sit down, and let us discuss this like people and not like brutes."

Link stepped back slowly, and sat down on the edge the cot, feeling suddenly weak and shaky.

"Darunia..." He finally spoke, "I didn't..."

"I know," The Goron Chief said, "Sometimes it happens. Let us forget it."

Link rested his head in his hands. "I don't think I know what to do anymore... I mean, I thought I knew where to go...what to do. But maybe I'm-"

"Do not doubt yourself, Link!" Darunia stopped him. "You of all must be confident... I feel, no, I know, that you of all must be confident!"

"Somebody is following me!" Link suddenly mentioned, glad to have it out. "Somebody in a dark cloak... I've seen them three times now, out of the corner of my eye... and I think they brought back my ocarina when I was in the fields."

Darunia rested the keen blade he had been handling back down by the cot, and sat down on the rock floor to come face to face with Link. He was an interesting looking Goron, Link realized, decked out in a feathered necklace and a dark beard around his mouth. He was not that large, or strong looking, but he held an air of authority about him that even Link could appreciate. He blinked, and came out of his reverie, meeting Darunia's eyes.

"They may have been following me since I left the castle, but I can't be sure," He concluded. 

Darunia nodded. "I thought that was what you were trying to say before... I had several watches placed at certain points around our mountain. If they see anything, then they'll tell me directly."

Link nodded gratefully, and finally spoke to question that had been eating at him for some time. "Do you think... that the legend we discussed before had anything to do with this?"

"I am almost certain it did." Darunia responded. "The power of the Sages is supposedly great enough to do anything once they are united. And the Triforce-"

"Is a symbol of Hyrule royalty." Link cut in. Darunia thought on this for a moment, scratching his bearded chin.

"Perhaps, in a way. But I believe it is the symbol of the three Goddesses: Din, Nayru, and Farore, and was made for all the people of Hyrule."

"Still," Link said. "If you were looking for something directly to do with the Goddesses, or the Triforce, you would immediately think of the royal family... Which leads us right back to Zelda!" He thumped the cot with his fist for emphasis. 

"Whoa, whoa, young fighter," Darunia stopped his train of thought. "You are thinking with an angry and tired mind. It is best to rest now, before you jump to conclusions. This may be deeper than just Zelda. Though she hides something from you, she is not your enemy."

"Somehow I understand that," Link sighed. "But she doesn't make it any easier for what I must do."

"Things are not always easy," Darunia chided. "In fact, it is the easy things we should be suspicious of. But, what is it that you must do?"

"Well, I'm going to-" Link began.

"First," Darunia interrupted. 

Link gave him an exasperated look. "First I'm going to rest," He said dryly. At Darunia's nod of approval he continued. "And then, I'm going to go find out more about these Sages."

"Excellent." Darunia applauded. "_Now_ you are thinking like a man." 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimers are in Ch. 1 as always. Questions, comments, ideas? Email or review them to me. They can be a big help, believe me.

Ch. 11 

Ask me where have I been

And I'll tell you: "Things keep on happening."

I must talk of the rubble that darkens the stones;

of the river's duration, destroying itself;

-Pablo Neruda

Link left the Gorons two days later, carrying the same Deku staff as before to help him balance and steady himself. The whole city came out to watch him go, and many came up to try and pat his shoulder, as pounding his back was out of the question in his weakened state. A Goron warrior had shown him how to strap the sword to his back, and he felt more content with the feel of the blade now. 

Rocko came up to see him with the group of racers. "You will return, won't you?" He asked. The racers and young ones behind them looked on hopefully.

"If I'm ever in the area," Link assured them, to their cheers of delight. Lastly, Darunia came forth, and put a hand on Link's shoulder. 

"You have a great power inside of you, my friend." He said. "Never doubt that. When the road looks long and hard, and the odds seem unbeatable, just remember what you have done, and how far you have come, and you will succeed." 

Link nodded back, and bade farewell to them all, before turning to head back down the long winding path he had come up. The young Gorons followed him down in a wave, singing an old traveling tune that is known well in the land of Hyrule, which Link took up on his ocarina. This is how they came to Kakariko: A Hylian young man playing an ocarina, with a group of singing Goron behind him. The soldier at the mountain base gate looked on in astonishment, and could only watch as Link turned to wave at the youngsters once again, before they all broke line and began to roll back up the path from which they had come. Link put his ocarina back on the belt, and stepped forward to greet the soldier.

"What in all Hyrule happened to you?" The guard gaped. Link grinned, shrugged, and continued on, anxious to see his horse again. 

Epona neighed happily, and nudged him forcefully, half scolding him for being away for so long. Link smiled, and scratched her mane, glad to see her and solid, flat ground again. 

"Hey, girl. Ready to do some more traveling?"

She tossed her head and stamped her feet impatiently. 

"Me too," He confessed. "I've been cooped up too long I think." 

He led her from the small stable out into the sun, where he saddled her and checked her shoes before they left. He was more than anxious to be out in the fields again, and led her back through the village, gaining the attention of some of the young children with his rough bandaged look, and the sword on his back. Under the village sign again, he met the time guard, who took one look at him, and nearly burst with enthusiasm.

"Ding Dong, Di- You met the Great Leader of the Gorons!" He guessed upon seeing his state. Link grinned, and pulled out a rough looking scroll, which he handed over. The guard unwound his right arm from his spear, and took it, reading it over. 

"Wow! You came through for me!" He waved the autographed scroll around. "Tell me about it. Were they big? Were they nice?"

"Why don't you go find out?" Link said, "There's a whole group of them heading back up now. If you hurry, I bet you could catch up to them."

"Really?" The guard asked hopefully.

"Absolutely," Link reassured, turning to leave. 

"Incredible!" The guard boomed, before dropping his spear to race up through the village towards the mountain. Link shook his head at the enthusiasm.

"Come on, Epona. I don't think I can stand anymore of this place," He said fondly. Epona snorted her agreement, and both of them left the village to step out onto the Hylian fields. 

*************

The going was much slower now, since Link was exhausted by too much jarring, and he walked most of the time to stretch his long-dormant body. It was frustrating to be out of control of his body, and he worked hard to gain it back. The morning after he had left the mountain found Link down an old wagon trail in the fields. It was a long distance from one landmark to the next in the Hylian fields, aside from the few scattering of trees, and he forced himself to relax. Any trouble he would encounter out here would give itself away long before it was upon him.

Leaning upon the Deku stick he had taken, Link paused for a moment to look at a roughly drawn map that one of the Gorons had given him. It gave the basic outline of Hyrule, and Link was able to vaguely place himself.

"Okay, Epona, we're here... And," He moved his finger up. "Death Mountain was here... So... we're heading towards..." He moved his finger in a vague side-ways direction. "West," He shrugged. The dream he had had while healing in the infirmary came back to him, and he nodded. "West it is. Gonna be sandy Epona, hope you can handle it." 

Epona knickered, and nibbled at the map.

"Hope _I _can handle it," Link admitted. 

Epona, naturally, kept any comments to herself. 

*************

Link kept his boots pointed towards the setting sun while they walked, knowing that sooner or later they would come to the desert. It wasn't the best way to travel across the vast expanse of Hyrule, but he had no other choice, and the farther he went, the less landmarks there were, until the only sign of life were the scrubby hedges that survived in the harshest of environments. 

Link wiped his brow. "Its getting pretty hot," He warned Epona. It was getting to the point where he was speaking directly and matter-of-factly to his own horse, and Link paused to wonder if that was a sign of losing one's mind. _Can't be too far off_, he decided. _I'm not exactly the perfect picture of a sound intelligence_. The sun was setting now, casting the barren field in a red-orange tint, and Link finally stopped his progress for the day, leading Epona off the trail towards a small glen in the hills. Here, he made a cold camp and a meal of day-old bread. Epona munched contentedly on the short-cropped dry grass of the western fields, and swished her tail every once in a while to ward off bugs. Link sighed, and relaxed back against her saddle he had removed. His body was aching again, and he knew he had overdone it again. He was not naturally patient enough to wait for his body to heal, though, and he relented to the fact that his body would probably never fully mend. 

That night, under the stars, Link thought about the Kokiri in the cool, dark forests, and of the secret hiding places and meadows he had played in as a child. It had a soothing effect, and he loosely clasped his ocarina in one hand as he drifted off to sleep.

*************

Morning was a tedious affair, as his body was stiffened with pain again, and he had to try the stretching techniques that Darunia had taught him to loosen his muscles and prevent strains in his back and limbs. Epona, in her rebellious way, had wandered off during the early morning, and Link spent a good few minutes finally getting her to come back.

"You're the most stubborn creature I've ever met," He informed her. She shook her head at him as if to disagree, and snorted. Link laughed, and turned to gather up his supplies, freezing suddenly in his tracks though, at the deadly echo of a bowstring being pulled taut behind him.

"Halt."

It was a low, and deadly trickle of a whisper, and he immediately stiffened his body. Until he knew what he was up against, there was no point in trying to struggle. For a moment, all was silent, and he trained his ears for the slightest sound. Abruptly, he heard the soft rustle of carefully trained feet coming towards him, and he felt the sword on his back being jerked from the casing. Link heard the footsteps again coming around his side, and he wondered if ironically he had come all this way only to be apprehended by a Hylian soldier. 

However, when the aggressor came into view, he couldn't have been more surprised. In front of him stood the tallest, darkest woman he had ever seen, and he blinked to make sure this was real. Her features were incredibly exotic, and she was dressed in a slight outfit of pantaloons and partially open vest. A long, curved scimitar hung from her sash, and the bow she had slung back up over her shoulder again. He could only watch helplessly as she turned his Goron blade over in her hands, and made small sounds of approval.

"Tell me," She finally said, in a low, deadly voice. "Where did a kid like you get something like this?"

"It's mine," Link said fiercely, taking a step forward. The blade was instantly whipped around and he found it prodded sharply in his stomach. 

"I said, _halt_," She shouted, a red fire blazing in her unusual eyes. Hylians by nature had a variance of usually blue-to-bluish gray pupils, with a few lighter or darker shades of the color rarely coming up, and that was the most highly diversified that he'd ever seen. However, the woman before him had almond-shaped _golden_ eyes, which were sharp and keen and watched him with a hostile suspicion. He wondered who she was, and if, quite possibly, he had just stumbled onto Gerudo land. He felt slightly unnerved at the idea. Although Link had not traveled much, he knew, as most Hylians knew, the Gerudos were not a bunch to mess with, and could be dangerous. And this one certainly looked deadly enough.

She watched him for another moment menacingly, before turning her eyes back to the blade, and then to Epona.

She hissed. "And a fine horse, too. Who did you steal these things from?"

"I told you!" He gritted out, "They're mine!"

"Not any Gerudo belongings," She continued, ignoring his answer. "But nonetheless, taken from some rich Hylian fool. There is only room enough for one kind of thief in this world, and that is a Gerudo." She carefully slid his blade into her sash also, and pulled the bow over her shoulder again. "Let's go," She ordered, notching an arrow to aim at his chest, "You can tell your story to the Queen." Link secretly felt it a waste of time, though, since she said it in a way that did not give him much of hope that he would be believed by anyone.

*************

Several times as they traveled, Link walking in a straight line ahead of her bow, he tried to imagine some way to escape the bad predicament he'd found himself in. But each time he had to forcefully remind himself of the stories he'd heard about the Gerudo, their disgust of men who they viewed weak, and their deadly fighting skills. Link decided that the best he could do was wait for an opportunity to arise later, and followed her instructions as she guided him none-too-gently for the time being.

By mid day Link was stumbling along, and the Gerudo halted their progress to observe him closely.

"Guess you didn't manage to sneak away scott-free after all," She said sarcastically. Link said nothing, and permitted her to poke and prod him, though he gritted his teeth to keep from shoving her away. His anger rose by the second at her rough attitude, but finally she stopped, and ushered him to continue. He did so gratefully, though still his body ached. It would not do good to start a fight he knew he couldn't possibly win with her now. 

The sun was starting to set when Link had his first taste of the desert plains, as he was poked and prodded down a hill where even the driest grass ended, and he stepped out onto cracked, plated earth. Here, only the scraggliest of bushes rustled in the hot, arrid wind, and the breeze moaned across the bare terrain. Ahead, in the dying light, he cloud just see a rise in the trail. A skeletal wooden fence came into view, the first sign of tamed wilderness in several hours. Link felt himself start to stumble, and gritted his teeth, grudgingly admitting that at the moment he was sorely in need of the Deku staff tied to Epona's saddle.

"Gerudo Valley," The woman finally spoke. She had kept silent for most of the journey. Link peered forward in the remaining sunlight to see the hills which had gradually risen into rocky ridges, enclosing a canyon path that ran through. She roughly pushed him in the direction of the path, and he stumbled several feet, before forcing himself to stand up straight. The fence he had seen in the distance was actually a rickety enclosure that ran around the ridge the trail led up onto. Link passed it, and found the tall, sun-blemished wooden sign that pointed roughly down the road: 

****

Gerudo Valley

There was a crossed skull painted on above the words, and Link wondered if it was supposed to be frightening. His captor didn't give him long to wonder about it though, and pushed him on, and into the opening between the two ridges. 

Now, the sun had set, and the land was turning dark, except for the bare, green-less ground which seemed to reflect the moonlight, a sight he had never experienced before. After the moon had risen, he was able to see a little better, and tried to look down the narrow trail. Ahead, he could see an opening into a larger space, where large, dark shapes loomed, which he quickly discovered to be rock formations and cliffs. The trail went on for a while longer, until Link found himself halting in front of a low-slung plated bridge across a gap in the earth, though the bridge was not what caught his attention.

Below, far far below, where the moonlight didn't quite reach, there was the dark surge of fast moving water, and he could faintly hear the dim roar of waterfalls. There was no telling how long he would have stood there in awe, but soon the Gerudo woman shoved him painfully in the back again, to make him move. Link stepped out onto the swaying bridge, and moved quickly, only looking back once in worry to see if Epona was doing well. He didn't need to worry, though, for Gerudos are some of the best known handlers of horses in Hyrule, and are skilled with any breed. The Gerudo carefully led Epona out in front of her, keeping her eyes trained on Link.

He sighed. _Like I'm really going to make my escape about now on this bridge. _He kept moving though, and carefully made his way across, to the other side, where he was forced to wait for Epona and the Gerudo. Once the woman had safely made it across with his horse, she signaled that he should continue, and Link warily turned to continue up the trail. They passed a single sign in the dark that Link could not make out the words on, and he supposed that even if he could all it would be was a warning for no trespassing. The Gerudo couldn't have been any more different than the Gorons, he realized, as finally, they took a bend in the road, and he was led to a place where natural steps were carved into the stone, leading up to the Gerudo's fortress. The building was low and crouched in the darkness, reminding Link of a deadly animal readying for a pounce. It seemed to be one large building with dozens more added on by halls and tunnels, and looked unsteady to his eyes. He was startled to see more Gerudo seem to appear out of nowhere in the darkness, carrying light-weight long spears in a most confident manner. The features he could make out were mostly angered upon seeing him, with a mixture of wary curiosity, and one Gerudo, more formidable looking than the rest, came up to his captor. 

"What's this?" She demanded of the younger. Link realized she was some kind of authority. The younger saluted. 

"I found him sneaking around out in the plains on my patrol," She answered in a clipped, official fashion. "He has a sword and a horse that are far too good for the likes of him." She added in a disgusted tone. One Gerudo stepped up to reach out for Epona's reins, and the young horse suddenly reared, and kicked out a sharp hoof at the strange person. She leapt back with a surprising speed, and turned angrily to Link, as if he were to blame.

The Gerudo with authority turned to look at Link, but it was impossible to see any features in the dark. She signaled for the younger Gerudo who had brought Link in to take the horse. 

"Take her to the stables. I'll take care of him," She said, and turned back to Link. "Come with me," She said in a warning tone, "And don't try anything funny." Link followed after her into the closest opening of the adobe fortress.

*************

Inside, the walls and floors were lined with red stone, and torches hung on the walls, casting a strange luminescent glow onto the crimson interior. Link suppressed a sound of pain as once again his body jarred when he took a bad step. He'd been walking all day, and his body was beyond pain. He wondered aimlessly if any of the healing that had been done before had come undone now. His head pounded sharply, and he felt sick. Halting in a large room with a heavy wooden table and crackling stone fire-place, the Gerudo signaled him to sit down, which he did gratefully. She eyed him up and down, and then left the room. Link looked around, and saw there were no guards in the room. It was probably just as well, from the display he'd seen earlier. Now, he just focused on not being sick, and rested his head against the table.

Some time later, he felt cool, rough hands touch his forehead, and he jerked back in surprise.

"Fever," A deep, feminine voice grated. He vaguely recognized the next voice from the one who had brought him into the room.

"He must of had a bad run-in with whoever he chose to steal from, the fool."

"Only if that person decided to pick him up and throw him off a cliff. These wounds are severe. You'll probably have to ask him how they happened. No Hylian did this."

There was silence for a moment, before he was roughly hauled up to his feet. He let his eyes lift to meet the startling rust-gold ones of the Gerudo in charge, and blinked blearily at her. She sighed in disgust, and let him drop back down to the bench he'd been on previously.

"Fix him," She said sharply. "He needs to be ready to see Queen Arruba." 

"Understood," The first voice said, and he listened to loud footsteps retreating, before he heard a sigh. 

"'Fix him', she says, like he's some kind of broken tool." The voice was annoyed, that much he could make out, and he tried to lift himself to see who his new captor was. The rough hands descended on him again, and he was dragged up again. 

"Untreated wounds? Foolish boy, no wonder you're so sick."

Sick? He tried to remember where he was, but the sharp pain was too much, and he started to shiver, his teeth clattering. The voice sighed again, and he felt himself being pulled forcefully forward towards a new destination, somewhere down a long hallway. There, he was made to lie down on a low, hard bed, and his hood was pulled from his head. The rough hand touched his temple again, and he heard more footsteps as whoever his new captor was moved around in the room. Link jerked under the feel of something cold and wet applied to his forehead, and began shivering anew. Jumbled thoughts and emotions raced through his head, and he vaguely thought he heard a voice, as if from a long, dark tunnel.

"Stubborn fool... You do yourself no good from all of this fighting... _just lay down your sword _..."

...no.

The echo of laughter made him shiver again, and he wondered fuzzily how severe the fever he had was. Would he die, here, in a worthless struggle?

The laughter became sharper, more mocking, and his body convulsed, wracked with pain and cold, until he could hear a vibrating chatter, that soon became the teeth rattling in his skull. It was more, though, like the staccato of hoof-beats, and he just had to wonder when it would all end. 

"I like you, you're tough. But now you have seen true power... _and it is pointless to resist..._"

No...no...

The hoof-beats became louder, until they were rapidly thumping around in his head, causing him to twist in pain. Would this fever ever end? Was it a fever? 

Was it real?

"_You are weak... and now you will die!_"

No! 

But it was of no use. The fire engulfed his body, but it was bitterly cold and aching, and he stiffened against the pain, agonizing that he could not get out. The hoof-beats changed to become more, and he recognized it as his own frenzied heart-beat, and it made him twist to try and open his eyes. 

He was in a room... in the fortress of the Gerudo...

"Are you _so sure about that_?"

Yes! YES! 

With a cry born of desperation, Link fought against the force that tried to overcome him, finally tipping into feverish half-wakefulness, to hear voices.

"Hold him! He's going into convulsions! Boy, if you can hear, hold still! Hold still if you want to live, damn it!"

Link heard, and struggled to listen, forcing his body to stiffen. He still shivered, but tightened his muscles to stop it. There was a sudden pressure at his clenched jaw, and he felt something cold and hard prying at his teeth. He weakly tried to unclench them, but he was frozen in his state of fever, and slowly the tool pried his mouth open, and something hot and slippery was poured in. He choked on it for a moment, and then swallowed convulsively, feeling the stuff pour down his throat. He felt queasy for a moment, but it passed, and he was finally able to relax his body slightly. His heart pounded in his ears, and his teeth chattered almost painfully, but he was alive. 

"Good boy," He heard the voice from before say, and he could not understand it well enough to be surprised by the relieved tone. "Good kid." 

Link felt something like a coarse blanket cover his sweaty body, and soon his shivering halted, and he slipped into a natural sleep.

*************

Link did not dream again that night, and by morning the fever had broken, leaving him weakened and dazed. The Gerudo who had been with him before, who was obviously a healer, came by, and he study her fuzzily as she check his forehead again. She differed from the other Gerudo women in only that she dressed in a full tunic and kept her hair wrapped tightly in a severe bun. Otherwise, her eyes were the same almond-shaped gold color, and her ears sported large brass hoops. 

"Good, you're recovering nicely." She said in a neutral tone, and brought over a cup. "Drink all of this. It will help with the dizzy spells. You're being brought in front of the Queen today," She said this with a healer's natural disgust at seeing any patient strained during recovery. "So you'll need all the energy you can get." After this, she left him, and he took the time to sip from the cup and peer around at the healer's quarters. It was even less sparse than the rooms Gorons kept, with only the barest essentials, and some medical supplies. Link sighed, and reached a shaky hand up to rub his face, wondering just what he had gotten himself into now. 

Later, a younger Gerudo came in with a platter, and set it down on the floor roughly, obviously disgusted she had to feed a male prisoner. Link only watched her with a vague curiosity, and waited until she left to pick the food up. He was not hungry in the slightest, but he knew he needed to eat to keep his energy up, and managed to get down a little bit of the stale flatbread before the Gerudo who had taken him inside yesterday- was it yesterday? arrived, and ordered him to stand.

She spent a moment looking him over, making sure the healer had done her job.

"The Queen awaits your audience." She finally said in a dangerous tone, and he rose on shaky legs to follow. They walked down several winding corridors, until she led him to a door, the first he'd seen in the fortress, and rapped on it three distinct times. After an almost inaudible reply from inside, she swung up the door, and stood to the side, motioning for him to enter. He did so carefully, and found himself in a brightly-lit room filled with several weapons hung on the wall and statues lining the throne. In front of him, two well-armed Gerudo thieves stood on either side of the crimson carpet that led up to the high-seated Gerudo he immediately recognized as the Queen. 

She was not decked out royally, or in a Queenly fashion, as rulers usually were, but instead went by the tradition of Gerudos, wearing only what she needed, and no more. The only outward sign that she was a Queen, in fact, was the heavy-plated necklace that hung from her neck and sported a large red gem that flashed with color in the torch-light. There was also an air of formidable authority about her that gained Link's attention, and made him straighten up his sore body automatically. She gazed down at him unblinkingly. 

"What is your name?" She finally spoke, in a deep, rough voice. 

"Link," He responded, already feeling slightly woozy from the trip to the room. The queen leaned forward, and watched him with bright, fearsome eyes. 

"And Link," She continued. "How was it that you came upon Gerudo land?"

"I didn't know it was," He said. "I didn't know you'd claimed authority of Hyrule's land in the west."

"There seems to be much that you don't know," She said sharply. "This land has always been ours." Link nodded slowly, and shrugged. He was not really in the mood to be humble or soft-footed with this arrogant woman. The Queen leaned back, and watched him intently.

"When my western patrol brought you in, she gathered your belongings to present before me. How is it that you had such a fine weapon and mount? Surely both were stolen from a rich owner?" She said this in a dangerous tone that dared for him to disagree. He did.

"Both are mine," He said in annoyance. "My horse is from Lon Lon Ranch, and my blade is a gift from the Gorons." The last was mostly true.

"From the Gorons?" She said in a disbelieving voice. "How did a simple boy like you meet the Gorons, much less receive a gift from them?"

"It's complicated," Link said tiredly. 

"Oh? Well, I would not mind hearing it, so go ahead, take as long as you need." Link sighed, and closed his eyes for a moment. He didn't trust the queen or her people, and to tell them could risk his life or his quest, or both. He took a deep breath, made a decision, and opened his eyes, staring rebelliously into those of the Queen.

"I'll fight your best warrior for my freedom," He said, in a loud, clear voice. The guards looked at him in surprise and contempt, and the Queen lifted an eyebrow.

"You?" She laughed. "You are nothing. You aren't even well enough to pick up a blade!"

"So you deny the challenge?" He called out, "I didn't imagine the Queen of the Gerudo thieves to be a coward!"

The room fell silent, and he knew he had said the right words. Dangerous words, but the right ones. The Queen leaned back in her chair, and her eyes were cold flecks of fire. 

"You are clever," She said, in a low, steely tone. "But I will accept the challenge for your life-"

"And my belongings!" He said.

Her jaw worked furiously, but she caught herself. "I offer more to you, foolish boy. If you manage to defeat the finest Gerudo warrior, then I will personally grant you freedom to come and go, and membership to our society."

One of the guard's voices rose suddenly. "But Queen Arruba! You can't possibly-"

"Silence!" She shouted. "Do not presume to tell me what to do! Have you forgotten your place?" The guard who had spoken up looked down in shame, and all quieted. She turned to Link, and fixed him with a stony look.

"If you lose, you die, and that which belongs to you, will become the property of the Gerudo. Do you accept?"

Link nodded. 

"Good," She clipped, and nodded to the Gerudo at the door. "Take him down to one of the cells. The battle will commence at sunset!" Link was caught by the shoulder, and dragged towards the door, but before he left, he turned to see the queen one last time, and to shoot her a look full of strong defiance. 

"Be ready, Queen!" He said, with more confidence than he felt. Something hit him in the stomach, and he doubled over, and was dragged from the room into the hallway and down another flight of stairs, where he was thrown into a cold, hard cell, and the click of a turning key sealed his fate. 

*************

Some time later, Link woke to the sound of the cell door being opened, and he wondered in a muddled panic if he had slept right up to the fight. However, the Gerudo only put down a clay bowl of water, and retreated back to the other side of the cell, where she closed and locked the door. She watched him as he lifted the bowl to drink from it.

"Do you really think you could beat any of us?" She sneered.

Link ignored her, and sipped from the cool, earthy tasting water. She lashed out her arm and hit her spear against the cell bars in a threat, but he focused on the water, and she eventually gave up her taunt in disgust, and left the room. He followed her with his eyes, and then set the bowl down. There was no one guarding him? He sighed. _Of course not... who could get out of here_? Just to make sure, he stood up, shakily, to test the bars, and found them solid and unmoving. He tried to door, and even slipped his hand though the bars to reach for the lock, but it was no use, and he slipped down against the wall to try and think. 

*************

The greatest problem was simply that he could not beat the best Gerudo. Or even, the worst. Link knew he had fought off horse thieves, and even somehow won a Goron race, but to battle a Gerudo thief one-on-one... especially in his state... Link sighed, and tipped his head back, studying the dark cell wall above him. He stood up to try each brick of rock in the wall, from the immediate wall to the far one, but found no weaknesses. He finally sat down again, his fingers raw from probing all of the tightly sealed cracks in the wall. The only way to get out was to fight. He sighed again, a shuddering sound, and closed his eyes, letting his mind drift as he thought over the coming battle. In his mind's eye, he could see a fighting Gerudo, and tried to focus on her. Her fighting style was like nothing he had ever seen before, and he peered forth through the mists to see her outline whipping around in a deadly arc. Link concentrated all of his senses on trying to memorize the sketchy fighting techniques she used, and he felt himself slipping into the mists, too, trying to hold up his arms in a fighting stance. She turned slowly, and her eyes were a sharp yellow. The mask she wore over her mouth fluttered as she began to laugh a cruel laugh at his struggle...

Link jerked up in the partial dark to hear the commotion outside, and he blinked blearily, trying to remember where he was. His heart started to beat quickly as soon as he remembered, and he came forward to the bars to peer out into the hallway. Several shapes came running by, and he barely recognized them as Gerudo thieves, armed and running. Somewhere outside, he could hear loud voices, and a suppressed explosion that made the cell bars rattle. Another few thieves came by, one in the lead yelling something unintelligible to the rest. They were all carrying weapons, and none bothered to look his way. There were several more faint explosions, and Link wondered if the fortress was under attack. 

After a few more minutes, he heard the soft patter of feet, but only one shadow appeared against the low torchlight, and he tried to peer down the corridor. A shape seemed to abruptly sift from the wall, and he saw it was because of the dark soot-colored hooded-cloak the form wore. Link expected whoever it was to run past in the partial darkness, but instead, they came to a halt by the cell door, and seemed to peer in at him. He backed away, and looked for some weapon, but the bare chamber offered no defense, and he turned back, ready to fight with fists if necessary. He was surprised when the form came up to the cell door, and started to toy with the lock. As the figure worked, it's hood fell back slightly, and Link could only vaguely make out the young feminine features.

"You!" He breathed, wrapping his hands around the sturdy cell bars to lean forward in shock.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimers, of course, are in Ch. 1, for anybody who really cares. Anyways, thanks to all of you who have stuck with me so far. I believe the plot is finally picking up.

Ch. 12

How dreadful knowledge of the truth can be

When there's no help in truth!

-Sophocles

"Who are you?" He pleaded, confused by his seeming recognition of her features, leaning forward to try and see her better. She lifted a gloved hand to pull the hood up again, casting a deeper shadow over her features.

"Just a moment, Link" She said in a hushed tone, "And I'll explain everything." Link turned slightly to watch her work at the lock with a small tool.

"Everything?" He echoed. She said nothing more, though, and he had to be content until the lock turned with a click, and she stepped back, turning to sprint down the way she had come. Link pulled his stiff body up and pushed the cell door outward, dashing after her. For a moment he thought he had lost her, but around a corner he saw a brief flicker of her long cloak and realized in a flash that she was the person who had been following him. Questions raced through his mind, but he forcefully suppressed them, and focused on keeping up with her. Towards the end of one tunnel, she had stopped at a heavy door to work at its lock, and Link caught up.

"Wait!" He called, "My horse-"

She held up a hand to stop him, and he ground his teeth, but nodded, and turned to look over his shoulder impatiently while she unlocked the door with the same tool. There was no time for him to think about it: he had to trust her for now. Finally, the door swung outward, and she raced out and ducked around the corner. Link followed as carefully as he could, and whipped around at a loud explosion in the distance. Beyond the fortress, in the valley, a cloud of dust had risen, and he wondered what was happening. He didn't have a moment more to think on it, though, as he turned back around and ran straight into a Gerudo guard. They both fell back, hitting the ground in surprise, and she recovered first, whipping around her spear to jab him with it. Link rolled to the side, and kicked out viciously to knock her off her feet. She fell with a faint 'oof'', and Link dived for the spear, grasping it just as she re-tightened her grip on the shaft. Now ensued a deadly tug-o-war game, but Link finally managed to twist it out of her grasp with his heavier upper body and whipped the spear butt around, cracking her in the forehead. She fell limply, and he staggered up, feeling light-headed. The cloaked woman turned the corner again, and motioned for him to follow. Link dropped the spear and continued after her. 

Around the next turn, he spotted Epona, fully saddled and ready, his supplies already packed. He grabbed her reins in his hand and turned to see the young woman waiting a few feet away. Link hesitated for a split second, and then made a decision. 

"Come on," He called back to her, and did not wait for her reply, but instead swung up into the saddle. She came forward a few feet almost hesitantly, and Link held out a hand, which she grasped with soft-skinned gloved hands, and he hoisted her up and behind him. He didn't have a moment to wonder what he was doing, for there was suddenly another explosion, closer by, and the cries of angry Gerudo. 

"A distraction..." The quiet voice from behind him said. Link turned Epona briefly, and then spurred her on and down the natural stone steps, towards the valley which he'd entered from. Here, the passage was swamped with Gerudo, and Epona was hard-pressed to get around them. Most were not paying attention to them, though, and were running about recklessly, in a panicked state. 

Link tried to turn this way and that to see what was bothering them, but felt a hand on his shoulder, and realized this was his- their-one safe bet of getting out. He kneed Epona sharply, and she sprang forward, pushing through the thieves as though they were high grasses to be sifted through. She carried them through the valley, and towards the area where the bridge was. On approach, Link was the first to notice the heavy smoke, and Epona started to reel at the sight of the burning bridge. Link reined her to a halt, and they watched as the bottom of the bridge seemed to give out, and then crumble. 

Suddenly, a cry came up from behind them, and Link turned in the saddle to see the Arruba, the Queen, running towards them with a band of her guards close behind. Link whipped around, and leaned forward, bringing a hand out to calm Epona.

"It's all right now," He whispered. "Now come on... let's do this."

The horse's ears swiveled around in nervousness, but he swished the reins, and she began to gather speed. Link felt a strange calmness, as if watching everything from a distance, as they advanced towards the collapsed bridge. He faintly felt the pressure of arms around his waist tighten, and he leaned forward, twisting his hands in the reins. Like a flash of light, they were suddenly upon the drop, and, dropping the reins to grasp the saddlehorn, Link put his life into Epona's hands. 

Epona seemed to coil with energy under them, and as her hooves overcame the last bit of earth, she plunged forward and into the air with a great rush of wind, whistling around their ears. Everything seemed to slow for Link, and he felt himself lift slightly from the horse's back. Below them, he could make out the fuzzy blue line of a waterfall and its course, and he felt a vague wonder at the awesome drop. Then he was being jarred as Epona hit the opposite side of the bridge, and they were off again. 

Link was too stunned to speak or guide, and so he held onto the saddlehorn, and let Epona lead them out. 

*************

Link pushed the dried brush around in the crackling fire with a twig, and looked across the flames to his guest. The hood still stayed up, though, and he sighed. Epona was somewhere out under the starry-night, glad to be free of the Gerudo's confining stables. A roasted bird of some sort turned on a make-shift spit over the fire, but Link had no appetite for it. His curiosity had been piqued, and he watched his guest for any sign that she would speak again. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Can I at least know your name?" He asked impatiently.

She said nothing, but reached out to turn the spit again. He sighed again, and leaned back. "You said you'd explain everything, but you now you won't even tell me your name." He accused. She was silent for a while more, but finally spoke.

"Wait until we finish eating," She half-whispered. 

Link huffed, but said nothing more until after they had eaten the bird. When they had finished the meal, and the fire had been dimmed, Link took his seat across from her again, and this time waited. Finally, she slowly reached up, and grasped the side of her hood, and he felt as if he was seeing a transformation before his eyes. The hood fell to show her features, and he started in surprise. 

"You're Kokiri!" He breathed, but immediately stopped himself in confusion. This was a young woman before him, not a Kokiri... She was obviously Hylian... yet... Her eyes were a deep blue-black that reminded him of a fair night sky, and her features were youthful and pale. It was _like_ a Kokirian face, but it couldn't be. The most startling feature of all was her hair, though, which was a rich, florescent green, and framed her young face in closely. It was short, and curled under her chin, and he couldn't stop looking at it in wonder. His reverie was broken by her nod, though.

"I _was_ a Kokiri," she said, "But things changed."

Link suddenly felt the odd, echoing feeling that usually accompanied a vision or dream, and shook himself.

"What do you mean, you _were_ Kokiri?" He finally asked. 

She sighed, and tipped her head to the side in an expression that made him feel sick, and he tried to focus on her words.

"You're about to learn the answers you have been questing for, Link," She said carefully. "Are you very, very sure that that's what you want?"

"Of course it's what I want!" Link cried, "It's what I've been looking for all along!" Her features seemed upset somehow, and he quieted down. "Please, if you know, tell me."

She was quiet for a while, and he wondered if he had offended the strange young woman, but abruptly, she began.

"In order to understand how I was once Kokiri, and how you've been having all of those dreams and visions, you have to understand the word 'paradox'." She halted, and looked at him. "Do you understand that word, Link?" When he replied that he did not, she continued. "I didn't know it either for a long time, and I never needed to know it, but that changed, too. A paradox is a contradictory conclusion, usually used in mathematics and logic by scholars and Wise Men, but it can be used in other places. Paradoxes are usually just riddles or puzzles that people can't solve, and so that's what they call them, but really, that's their exact meaning by nature."

Link shook his head in puzzlement, and she nodded with a smile. "That was my first response, too. Now, though, I'm going to tell you who I am, and that's going to make this all just a little more believable." She took a deep breath then, and Link realized she was just as nervous as he was. "My name is Saria, and I am the Sage of the Forest." 

Silence echoed across the fire for several full minutes, before Link finally found his voice. "Then they're real." 

Saria nodded. "The job of the Sages is to protect Hyrule with the blessing of the Goddesses, and to keep the sacred Triforce from falling into the wrong hands." She closed her eyes, and he was startled at the pain that twisted her youthful features. "Now please," She said faintly, "Bear with me Link, because I'm about to tell you everything, and I fear... No, I know... its going to be very brutal." She opened her eyes, and focused on his face. 

"Link, those dreams and visions you're having are not truly yours to have. They are ideas, feelings, senses... memories, that belong to the Sages. They were taken from you when you were eighteen, and sealed away inside the Triforce of Courage." Link stared at her, blinking slowly.

"But... I'm only sixteen," He said weakly.

"You are now," She continued, "But you weren't. I wouldn't have told you this Link," She said fervently. "I swear I never would have, but you've fallen in too deep, and I'm afraid that if you don't know, then you could lose yourself for good." She ducked her head again, and the same painful expression rose, until he felt sick.

"What is it?" He finally asked. "Tell me, I've come this far... Tell me."

She took in a shuddering sigh. "Link, this was not your original your life. Your original life was taken from you, along with the memories, feelings, thoughts... It was all sealed away, and we, the Sages, along with the power of the Triforce, sent you back to your childhood, a changed childhood, where the life you would have led no longer existed." 

Link stared at her. "My..."

"Link, you were the Hero of Time," She continued ruthlessly. "When you were eleven years old, you left us, the Kokiri, to save Hyrule from the evil that a Gerudo King had set loose upon it. I gave you an ocarina, Link, and I taught you a song I played, and you left... You went across Hyrule, and you saved it from the evil that was Ganandorf, but lost your childhood in the process. Rauru, the Sage of Light, took you into his realm, and held you in a sleep for seven years, until you awakened to go and free the land once again."

Link stood up and began to pace, trembling with some controlled emotion.

"So what are you saying..." He began, in a strained voice, as he paced. "I was some kind of hero who went around killing monsters and saving people... And now its gone? ... all of it... my life..."

"Yes," She forced herself to say. "Zelda gave you an ocarina also... it was called-"

"The Ocarina of Time," He hissed, remembering the inscription from the temple, only now realizing the poisonous words for what they were.

"I'm so sorry, Link," She whispered. "If we would have known... if we could have seen the effects-"

"You?" He stopped, whirling around.

"We. We sealed it away, Link, together, with all of our powers."

Link quaked with something deep inside, and he lowered his head for a moment, flexing and un-flexing his hands. He shook his head, as if to clear all of it, but it was there, mocking him. Saria rose and reached towards him, but he jerked away.

"No!" He snarled, turning away. He searched wildly around, and started to run for Epona. 

"Link!" Saria shouted, chasing after him. Link swung onto Epona's back, and wheeled her around, pushing his heels sharply into her side to spur her forward. He tore across the fields on her back, pushing her on and on until they were only a blur on the flattened grasses, and Saria watched the hollow night with a bleak expression.

*************

They flew across the grass, and Link clung to Epona tightly, the only thing in a jaded, senseless world that he could believe in. 

*************

Kafka took the stairs three at a time, and landed on the cold cell floor in a crouch. Juno took his time going down, and joined his brother on the bottom floor of their fortress home. Kafka, who wielded Command, waited for his brother in annoyance, and walked on. Juno put a casual hand over the hilt of Domination, and followed good-naturedly. The two rarely came down to the cells, but now they were in need of a guide, and this rotting jail was the best place to look. 

"Don't touch anything," Kafka told his brother menacingly, as they walked. Juno nodded meekly, but thought to himself that he wasn't really keen on touching anything in a dungeon anyway. They walked down the line of cells until Kafka stopped at one, and paused. A pathetic, gaunt creature was sprawled out inside, and Kafka kicked out at it with his foot.

"Wake," He snapped. The creature lifted it's head slowly, and turned to him, blinked its dark, bleak eyes slowly. At one time, it had probably been more Hylian than beast, but now its sickly pale, wrinkled skin and skeletal frame gave off the effect of repulsiveness. It moved its thin frail wrists slowly, trembling under the effort to raise itself. Kafka began to grow impatient, and tapped the magic seal that opened the cell door. He swung it open, and stepped inside, standing threateningly over the sickly creature. Juno stepped in behind Kafka, and leaned against the door, swaying against it absent-mindedly. The creature slowly pushed its body up, and somehow managed to rise shakily to two feet. Kafka tipped his head back in well-concealed surprise to see the creature on two feet-and taller than him by a foot at least. Its jutting chin and sharp ears communicated that it was probably still Hylian, but he ignored that.

"I am your Master," He instructed it. "And you will obey my every whim as I speak it, is that understood?" The thing nodded its head weakly, and Kafka smirked. "Good, that's my brother over there, he is also your master. Now, you were collected from a foreign land, correct?" He didn't wait for an answer. "That land is called Hyrule, and my brother and I find it very interesting. You are going to take us there, and lead us through it to its stronghold, is that understood?" It watched him with sunken, empty eyes for a moment longer, before slowly, pathetically, nodding. 

"Good," Kafka hissed, his eyes narrowing, giving off an even stronger impression of a serpent. Juno jumped off the door, and came up to study the creature. 

"It's not much to look at," He finally said, his hand tapping out a favorite tune on the hilt of Domination. The creature slowly turned to him, and Juno had to turn away from the empty staring eyes. Kafka nodded in satisfaction, and turned to leave. When they were on the other side, he closed the door and sealed it, looking in at creature who had already hobbled down onto the ground again.

"That's right," Kafka said, "You had better get a good sleep. Tomorrow we leave early." He turned and followed Juno, who was eager to be away from the stench of rotting decay, back up the stairs. 


	13. Chapter 13

Bit of a long chapter tonight, plus a long conversation between Link and Saria. Just warning, it's a bit in-depth. Ah well. Disclaimers in Ch. 1. 

Ch. 13

Wind over the lake: the image of inner truth.

-I Ching (The Book of Changes)

Saria woke to the lonely howl of the wind, tumbling over the barren fields. She sighed, and closed her eyes, when everything came back to her. _I told him too soon_, she realized. _He wasn't ready_..._ maybe he never would have been_... Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice that made her sit up in surprise.

"Stop laying there like a rock and come and have some breakfast," Link said, mimicking the tone that Malon often used to wake him in the morning. Saria sat up to see him perched on a rock over the smoldering campfire, with some sort of meat sizzling on a flat hot-rock. She looked at him in amazement, and he put down the chipped piece of rock he'd been moving the meat around with.

"I only have one question for you right now," He said softly. Saria came over to sit by him, and nodded for him to continue. 

"Has my life just been one whole lie?" He asked, refusing to look up at her. Saria sighed, and reached out tentatively to touch his shoulder. 

"No, Link. The things you've done... I saw you rescue Epona back from the soldiers at Hyrule Castle... I watched you win the race with the Gorons... No, Link, this _is _your life, and it was _never_ a waste. You've done so many good things, Link! For Talon and his ranch, for the Gorons, for the Great Deku Tree... Just because you never had to fight an evil like Ganandorf, doesn't mean you aren't a hero."

Link sighed, and moved his shoulder out from under her hand. She clasped her hands in her lap, and waited. Finally, he looked up.

"I don't care about that hero stuff," He said. "I just want to know if this has all been some kind of sick joke... If I've been living a lie..."

"_No_," She said fervently. "Link, when it changed, it changed for all of us... Hyrule itself went back in time, and wiped itself clean of evil... It was reborn, and had a chance to live peacefully. The only difference with you was that you were too close, too connected, and to give you a life of peace, we had to take all of the remnants of your violent past away, including-"

"My life," He said softly. She hesitated, and then nodded. Link scraped the sizzling meat around again over the fire. "I went far away last night," He began. "...And I didn't know what I was going to do... All I could think about was... Had I wasted my life? Was everything I knew just...?" Link shook his head. "But... I came this far for the answers, and I'm not going to stop until I have all of them. So for better or for worse, I'm putting my trust into you, a complete stranger, and hoping you can put me in the right direction."

Saria looked up at him, but he kept his eyes on the meat. 

"It's burning," She said. Link nodded, and scooped the sizzling meat from the rock, making little sounds of pain as his fingers burned. Saria made an exasperated sound, and held out an edge of her cloak. "For goodness sakes, Link!" She said, trying to settle the suddenly slippery food in her lap. She looked up in surprise at the sound of laughter, and saw Link's expression of mirth. She shook her head at him, and clucked in a motherly tone. "You haven't changed a bit," She chided him, and was relieved.

*************

After breakfast, Link turned serious again, a very interesting trait that he had always possessed, even when he was a child when Saria had known him.

"I still want some answers," He said, and she turned to sit in front of him again. He took a moment to think, before beginning.

"You said something about paradoxes... What did you mean?"

"Well," She started. "When we changed the time and made the seal, it automatically meant that we couldn't tamper with it anymore, and anything that happened afterwards would be up to the people of Hyrule... which," She added, "Was crazy... to think that there would be no further danger... Anyhow, everything was returned pretty much to its normal self, several months before Ganandorf started to cause trouble, and seven years before you saved Hyrule." She watched his expression worriedly, but he only nodded for her to continue. "The problem that caused the paradoxes, however, was the fact that in the former Hyrule, the Sages came forth out of need, but suddenly Hyrule didn't need them. The only exceptions were Darunia, who happened to be a Goron chief after all, because of his ancestral line, and Impa, who as the last of the Sheikah race needed to guard the royal family... The problem in that case would have been that..." Saria paused and sighed. "This is really going to get confusing, Link. I've always had trouble trying to figure it out." 

Link frowned. "Go on, anyway. I'll try to understand as much as I can."

Saria nodded. "Well, anyway... The problem would have been that if Impa was not there to guard Zelda, then anything that could get past a soldier guard could get to her, which would have made the whole thing obsolete, since Zelda was the one who held and breathed life into one of the Triforce pieces that we needed. So somehow fate willed that Impa become reality in our split Hyrule... and..." Saria shook her head in frustration. "Do you get it? We all had to become Sages, or like I said before, the whole process of the sealing away the former Hyrule would have become obsolete since we were never there _to _make or hold the seal..." She trailed off.

"Okay..." Link said slowly, his head already beginning to hurt. "So you were just... called forth?" Saria nodded. "By..."

"By Rauru, the Sage of Light, through our own powers, or _residual _powers..."

"But then, if you were called forth... then that meant that your selves, or this Rauru, already existed, and had somehow come over into 'this' Hyrule as well..."

"Exactly," Saria said with relief. "You were always a fast learner, Link." She said with a smile. Link shrugged with a small grin.

"All right, so Darunia and Impa were not hard to 'call forth'. Either Darunia really died while fighting the monster in Death Mountain, or he faked his death, to go and... what... join with the other Darunia?"

"Sort of," Saria said. "Thats way too complicated for me. Our selves in this world, if we existed in this world, obviously had no idea of any other life, or power that they had possessed, and it was just like the case with you. They began to see visions and have dreams-"

"Wait," Link cut in, his voice panicked. "Does that mean..."

"No, don't worry," Saria reassured him. "The only reason that there were two of each of us was because one was an entity of power and the other was the living being. You are the only Link there ever was." 

Link looked relieved. "So, it was like merging, or joining, to become one entity each, and Darunia and Impa were called first because they were the easiest to get... what about the others?"

"Well," She continued. "That was the tricky part, I mean," She added, "The trickiest of all the tricky parts." Link grinned, and she went on. "When we went back in time, first wanted to try and wipe out our own existence without _wiping ourselves out_. If we just left them alone, it would create another paradox, since two of one person can't live at the same time."

"So if I knew you, and you gave me the ocarina, then how did I not know _you_?" Link asked, confusing himself. 

"That's one of the biggest paradoxes of them all," Saria sighed. "Aside from my entity self, I was never real in this life... or, thats what I thought. However, you had the ocarina when the other life shifted away, and somehow you had it in this life, because otherwise you couldn't have learned Zelda's lullaby, which for some reason must be more important than we thought, if fate made a concession for you to appear with it now. The difference was that you have the same childhood past now that you had then, and since you remembered being given an ocarina, you _had _an ocarina... You don't seem too happy to be getting the answers you wanted, Link," She kidded him gently. Link dropped his head into his hands, and groaned.

"Maybe I should have never asked you for them," He muttered. 

Saria smiled, before continuing. "Somehow, I don't think we'll ever really know how, my former self seemed to shift _through_ my entity self and into this life after you left the Forest for good. I think it may have been fate trying to give a reason behind the ocarina, and my entity self... but anyway, thats what happened. However, when I went to join with my entity self, I found that I couldn't because I had begun to age!"

"How?" Link asked. "I didn't know Kokiri could do that."

"Well, they aren't supposed to. But somehow I did. Maybe it was a compromise so that I was able to live as a seperate being from the entity Saria in this life and know you..."

"Was knowing me that important?" Link asked in confusion.

"...Yes, Link," She said quietly. "It was to me."

It took him by surprise, and he looked away for a moment in embarrassment to get his bearings. Finally, he looked back.

"And since you weren't exactly the same anymore, probably because you left the enchantment of the forest and lost the Kokiri childishness," He began again. "You couldn't join like Darunia and Impa could... I've met Darunia's son and seen Impa... I don't think they're that prone to change, anyway, so that accounts for that." Link blinked in surprise, and shook his head. "I've never thought so much in my life," He decided, and Saria smiled. 

"So what did you do?" He asked. 

"I met with my entity self, and learned about everything that had happened, which of course, I had done, and in turn, remembered. But, unlike the Sages, I decided secretly that what they had done was a mistake: to change Hyrule like that just because the land was bloody... It made room for a lot of bad things to happen, and now there aren't even any Sages to call forth," She said, biting her lip. "They condemned themselves to watch over that seal forever." 

"So _then_ what did you do?" Link repeated. 

"Well," She said, "My first priority was my family, the Kokiri, and I returned to the Great Deku Tree. But also... I wanted to see how you were doing because... I knew that you would be fine wherever you went, Link, but I m- ... I was worried about you, and I wanted to make sure you were doing okay on your own. After that, I just went home... back to the forest, and went to stay at the Forest Temple to be able to help and aid my entity self from the physical plane of Hyrule." Saria tipped her head to the side in the strange way from before. "I gave you the ocarina, Link, but I wonder if you remember the song, or if I ever even taught it to you... Do you want to try it?"

Link thought about it carefully for awhile, before turning to her. "I..." he hesitated. "Yeah..." He stood up and went over to the saddlebag to retrieve his ocarina, and when he had returned, Saria was holding one identical to it. Link suddenly felt shaky, and he had to sit down quickly. 

"What is it?" She asked, leaning forward. Link put a hand to his head, and blinked a few times rapidly. 

"I... don't know. Just some kind of dizziness..."

"A memory," She said, "You're having them more rapidly now..."

"How long will I keep having them?"

"That's one of my biggest worries," She sighed. "I'm not sure how long... When the Sages of this world started to have them, it was when the _original_ Sages started to make themselves known in the world, and then the ones of this time, well, _awakened_..."

"How did mine awaken?" 

"I'm not sure about that one, either," Saria said apologetically. "You'll have to try and communicate to the Sages about that, now that the damage is done."

"I thought I _was_ talking to a Sage," Link said with a slight grin. 

"No," She laughed, "I'm no Sage, Link. I guess I could be, in a way... but I chose not to... in fact, that may be the reason I started to age... Because I _chose _to."

Link mulled over this for a moment. "Why would you choose to forsake eternal life like that?"

Saria shrugged. "A lot of reasons, mostly thanks to you. You taught me, inadvertently, that there was more to life than I was seeing... The forest will always be a part of me, but also I began to yearn for a real life... To grow up..." 

She shook her head, as if to clear the train of thought. "You have a lot more questions, I know, but I can't really answer all of them... In fact, I wasn't even supposed to make myself known to you, Link."

He looked up, startled. "Why not?"

"Because they, the Sages, didn't want to take the chance of you somehow remembering me. After you went to speak to Zelda about your dreams, they decided to keep quiet, even after they saw you so lost." Saria's dark eyes flashed angrily. "It was a terrible thing to do, because they were condemning you to wander through life searching for who you were and going mad... I finally stepped in, after you got in enough trouble." She frowned. "I wasn't even sure if I was going to tell you anything..." She shook her head again, and lapsed into silence.

"So what's going to happen to you?" Link asked after a while.

"Well, I'll probably go before them... but I don't think they can actually do anything to me..." She chewed her bottom lip in thought, and then shrugged. "Even if they could do something, it doesn't matter. You needed to know the truth."

Link sighed, and tipped his head back to note the high position of the sun. They'd spent the morning and most of the afternoon talking, and now Link was anxious to be doing something again. He stood up, feeling restless, and went back to his saddlebags, absent-mindedly dropping his ocarina into a loose pouch. He searched around, and found where his sword was. Pulling it out, he admired the keen razor sharp edge in the overhead sunlight, twisting it this way and that, and slashing experimentally. Saria watched him curiously. 

"Do you know how to use that?"

He stopped, and looked a bit miffed. "I guess not. I was trying to look impressive."

The quiet young woman couldn't help it. She burst out laughing, and Link's frown deepened in embarrassment. He rested the blade's tip in the earth, and leaned against it.

"What, you know how?" He challenged. Saria shook her head though, and stood up. She unwrapped the tied cloak from around her traveling outfit, and let it fall back onto the rock she'd been sitting on. Link staggered in disbelief, and she immediately looked at him in concern. 

"What is it?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Your clothes look... familiar...maybe... I don't know." He averted his eyes in confusion, and started to fiddle with the sword, turning its point in the soft earth. Saria reached over her shoulder, and pulled a small bow around, presenting it to him.

"This is the Fairy Bow," She continued, hoping to cover his embarrassment. "You carried it before... I took it from the Forest Temple for self-defense, but I haven't really ever needed to use it." Link walked up and peered at it in curiosity. He had never been close to a bow before, and reached out his hand to run a finger up the smooth wooden frame. The grain was a light, golden colored material, and he recognized it for Deku wood. Designs were carved into it and stained, and it was very ornamental. 

"Do you know how to use _that_?" Link joked, finally handing it back. She smiled, and, in the blink of an eye, had strung an arrow and shot it towards a distant spot. Before Link could even turn, it had slammed into the spot with a hollow thud. His eyes widened in amazement. "Wow," He added.

Saria grinned. "I had a lot of time to practice. Five years to be exact. Not on any moving targets, mind you..." She drifted over to unearth the arrow which had sunken in deeply, and returned, cleaning streaks of dirt from it. Link pulled his blade from the ground, and tried a slashing move, lunging forward to bring the sword straight down.

"Hyah!" He said fearsomely. Saria couldn't help but giggle. He turned back and sighed dramatically. 

"I just started!" He defended himself. 

"Don't worry about it, warrior," She teased him. "You'll be great... It just may take awhile."

*************

After the short sword practice, Link saddled Epona up, and took out the Goron map to find his position again. 

"Where can I find the Sages?" He said, turning to see Saria bundling her cloak up. She looked up in surprise.

"Find them? They aren't exactly... in Hyrule, Link." She bit her lip.

"Huh? What do you mean?" He asked, tying the buckles on the saddlebags. Epona knickered at him when he accidentally tightened one, and he loosened it apologetically. 

"The Sages call people to them by summoning them... The only other way I can think of finding them is-"

"The Ocarina of Time," Link supplied. "I saw the inscription in the temple... That wall, is it a doorway to the Sages?"

"It's a doorway to the Chamber of Time," She said, watching him freeze as he was clipping Epona's reins on her mouthpiece. 

"Chamber of Time?" He asked. "But I thought..."

"It's useless now," She assured him. "The Master Sword was... Whoops," She sighed, upon seeing his startled features.

"Sword? What sword?" He said, coming around Epona. 

"The Sword of... Look, just forget it for now. When we get there, if we ever do, I'll try to explain it a little better."

"So you're coming with me?" He asked curiously.

"Unless you want to do this alone," She said, feeling suddenly shy. "I guess you could manage it-"

"No, I was just wondering if you were... Come on." He pulled himself up onto Epona's back, and turned, holding out a hand. She took it, and he pulled her up behind him again. Epona shifted about at the added weight, but he settled her. He could understand, though. It was strange for him to have someone else with them, too.

*************

"...So, I went to find Mido, and he was furious! His fairy was buzzing like a woodland stinger, and Mido's face kept twisting around like he'd eaten something really sour..."

Link laughed. "That sounds like Mido." 

She nodded from behind him. "So then I went to find _you_, and you weren't _anywhere_! I got together a few fairies, and we went to go search you out, because I knew that you were the only one who knew where Mido's staff was..." She was telling him a story she usually told Hylians she met, with the slight exception of 'you' instead of 'Link', as she was talking about one of _his _childhood misadventures.

"I never thought I was _that_ bad!" Link said. Saria grinned.

"Well, maybe without me around, you might have been a little more Mr. Innocent, but I don't know..."

"What? Did you get me into trouble?" Link asked, twisting around to see her expression. Saria tipped her head to the side in the way she always did, and grinned with embarrassment.

"I suppose I kinda did. You and Mido must have fought a lot more when I was around..."

Link suddenly remembered the dream he had had while he was with the Gorons. 

"Wait a minute... Did I ever try to give you flowers?"

She started, and her mouth dropped open.

"So it was you! I remember... I think I fell... because you said I had passed out..."  
"You remembered _that_?" She said, blushing. The effect was terrific, the red contrasting with her green hair and blue-black eyes. Link laughed again.

"I guess so. What happened?" He asked, turning back around to see the trail Epona was plodding along. Saria squirmed a bit in embarrassment.

"Mido brought me flower blossoms from one of the trees deep in the Lost Forest... because, oh, I can't remember, it must have been something important though, because one of the Know-It-All brothers went out to find some blossoms, too." She thought about it for a moment. "So, when Mido came back, I think he made a really big deal out of it, and was showing off... you know how he does."

Link nodded. "So what happened?"

"Well, he was telling everyone, and he of course had to go and brag to the most stubborn-headed, competitive Kokiri ever to walk the forest path..."

"Who?" 

"You!" She exclaimed, and Link rolled his eyes. 

"I don't remember ever being as bad as you portray me being."

"Well that's because you never had a reason to show off, either. In a way it may have been better for you that I wasn't really around. You got into a lot of messes because of that stubborn streak of yours!" She suddenly had to hold back the urge to playfully tweak his ear, shocked at the idea of an act that had come so naturally to her when they were children. 

"Yeah right," Link said, oblivious to her sudden reaction. "What did I do?"

"Um," She focused on the story again. "You got pretty mad, and stomped off. When I didn't see you after a while, I went around trying to find you, and guess what you had decided to do!"

"Ignore all of the childish squabbling?"

"You wish," She teased. "I finally tried the Great Deku Tree's meadow... and guess what?"

"Do I want to know?"

"Probably not. You were hanging from His limbs!"

Link whipped around in the saddle in shock. "I was _not_!"

"Yes you were!" She laughed. "You were determined to go straight up to the top boughs, and get some flower blossoms from the Great Deku Tree!"

Link sighed dramatically, and shook his head. 

"But I fell?"

"Yep. But not at first. I was so scared! I kept calling for you to come down before you hurt yourself, but you said you wanted to get the flowers. I tried to say they weren't that important, but I guess you were too fixed on outdoing Mido!" 

"So what happened?"

"You got them! You went straight up into the branches, and came straight down! I thought... well, I thought that was it, you hit like a ton of rocks. I was so upset..." She trailed off for a moment in memory. "But when I went over to you, you started to move around, and I told you that-"

"I had passed out," Link supplied, eyes faraway. Saria nodded, then, realizing he couldn't see her, voiced her answer.

"Yes, you did... You told me you were climbing up, and then I saw the flowers in your hand... the most beautiful flowers I think I've ever seen... anywhere."

It was Link's turn to squirm in embarrassment, though he knew that he couldn't have been the same person who had done that. That had been another Link... another time... hadn't it?

"I wish I could have known you," He suddenly blurted out, before he could stop himself. Saria quieted down for a moment, and he berated himself for the ridiculous outburst.

"I wish you could remember, Link," She said softly. "Because it's there... We were good friends, the best, and I felt terrible when you left, though I knew that was your destiny... I guess that's the difference between the Sage and me. She could accept it, I couldn't."

They rode in silence for a time more, both lost in their own thoughts. 


	14. Chapter 14

All right, more action, less talking, in this chapter, people. I really didn't want another episode of discussion like the last one, since no one seemed to like the length. Things are really picking up now, though, and some new characters are going to be added to Link's, *ahem* new, mandatory quest. Enjoy.

Ch. 14

It matters not how deep entrenched the wrong,

How hard the battle goes, the day how long;

Faint not,-fight on! To-morrow comes the song.

-Maltbie D. Babcock

"Now entering Hyrule Castle fields," Saria read from the sign. She looked around with interest, as she had avoided this part of Hyrule for most of her life. Link clambered down from Epona now, and Saria followed suit, giving the horse a rest. They had been traveling for most of the night, and now streaks of pale dawn were painting the dark horizon. In the distance, Link could make out a dark outline jutting up from the horizon which was Hyrule Castle Town. It seemed like it had been forever since he'd been so close to home, and he felt an extra stride in his step, anxious to be there. 

Saria followed as quickly as she could, and they made good time, reaching the gates just as the afternoon sun reached its peak. A guard lounging near the drawbridge looked at them in startlement, but made no move to stop them. Link breathed a sigh of relief: It meant that Zelda had probably coaxed her father into letting up the lookout on him. He took Epona's reins and led her over the wooden bridge, looking back to see Saria following, her head tipped back to see the stone gates as she walked into the town. 

"You act like this is the first time you've been here," Link called back in curiosity. Saria turned to look at him in embarrassment.

"It sort of is," She explained. "I've only been here once before, and that was to make sure you were okay up in the castle."

"Oh yeah," He remembered. "I never thanked you for returning my stuff to me... How did you do it?"

Saria caught up to him, and tentatively rested a hand on Epona's broad shoulder. "It wasn't so hard when you spend so much time sneaking around. The hardest part was finding you. You make a fast get-a-way on horseback."

"How did you find me before I came back?" Link asked in bewilderment. Saria's hesitated in answering though as they entered the busy town of Hyrule Castle, and conversation at this hour was near impossible. Shoppers bustled around impatiently, checking goods and haggling over prices. Most of the town's children were out now, and they were racing to and fro, chasing cuckoos, dogs, and essentially anything that moved. Saria was astonished by all of it, and Link amused himself in the meantime by watching her reactions to the sights. When they had moved through the busiest part of town, they were able to start the conversation again.

"What were you saying?" Saria asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, how did you find me?" Link asked again, eyeing the guards stationed around the quieter part of town. Most of them looked in their direction, but didn't do much more than give them a suspicious look. 

"Well... First I watched you leave through the East gate of the courtyard, and then I went back to find your stuff, which you had to put in the most inconvenient place," She scolded. "I had to go back to the castle where some of the soldiers were going to sell your tunic, and then steal it when they weren't paying attention... I mostly just followed your trail... The spirits of the fields also were ready to help... Don't ask," She warned him quickly, "It's one of those Sage things."

Link shook his head. "I'll be ready to have the rest of this cleared up, then. I guess I'm really boring you with all of my nagging."

"Not at all," Saria responded. "It's nice to be able to see you again after all this time."

Link turned to respond, but suddenly the blaring cry of a dozen Royal horns sounded, and immediately the guards closest to them raced from their posts towards the gate headed for the castle. Link stepped back in alarm, and Saria grasped his arm.

"What's happening?" She asked, turning in alarm to see more guards rush past them towards the gate. 

Link's eyes narrowed. "I don't know... Look," He pointed at the gates, which were being dragged shut by the last guards to leave, and then locked. The guards turned, then, and ran up to the road through the valley towards the castle. 

The inhabitants of the town started to pour towards the gate in confusion, and several were already there, peering through. Epona twitched at the close contact of the dozens of people swarming around them, and Link put a hand to her shoulder to calm her. Slowly, the mass halted, and they fell silent as each citizen tried to find out what was going on. It was an eerie moment: the entire town was hushed, and the wind whistled through empty streets and corners. Suddenly, a single cry raised up from somewhere up the road, and every Hylian present felt chills moving down their spine. Voices started to rise.

"What happened? Is somebody dead?"

"Why were we locked out!"

"Hey! Lets break down these gates! They've no right to keep us out!"

"Of course they do, you idiot, they're Royalty!"

"What's so bad that they've got to keep us out for?"

Link felt anxious. Were they trying to keep them out? Or something in? He started to move forward, shouldering people out of the way. Epona resisted at first, but then began to push through the crowds. Saria chased after him. She caught up and grabbed the back of his tunic.

"Link! What are you doing? We can't get through!"

"We have to!" He said in a low voice for only her to hear. "Zelda's the only one who can help us get to the Sages! If something's happening in there, I have to go find out what it is!" Saria said nothing more, but helped him push through the crowds, leading Epona along.

"Get back!" Link cried. "Let us through!"

Most did so grudgingly, mumbling to themselves about upstart young punks. A few tried to resist, but scrambled away when they were almost felled by Epona's sharp hooves. Finally, they made it to the gates, and Link wrapped his hands around it, peering through. He couldn't see far up the road, for there was a bend there that kept the castle out of view. He gritted his teeth in frustration, and looked up to see the height of the gate. It was high up, an interwoven mesh of metal that had kept him out of the town once before. He turned to the people.

"Quiet!" He called. "Listen to me!"

The townsfolk, who were naturally curious about everything, fell mostly silent, and leaned forward en masse to listen. Link thought quickly about what he wanted to say.

"I need somebody to get something sturdy!" He yelled, hoping they could all hear him. "Something strong enough to knock down this gate!" 

"Like a battering ram?" Someone called out. Link nodded. 

"Exactly! We need to get through!"

There was a sudden murmuring from the crowd, as they all looked about mutinously at each other. No one was sure really of what to do. Saria came forward, and stepped in front of Link to face them. They immediately fell silent at the sight of the young woman with the green hair. 

"Listen!" She called out in a high, ringing voice. "I know you must be unsure of what's happening, as we are too! But ask yourself this: Could you ever forgive yourselves if something should befall the Royal Family? The Guardians of the Hylian people, who have watched over us for hundreds of years! Are they to fall now in the face of your suspicion? Come now! Fetch a battering ram, and let us come to the aid of our King!"

Link was stunned at the speaking voice the seemingly quiet Saria had just used, and so it seemed were the Hylians. They were still for a moment, before setting up in a thunder of voices, many at the back turning to withdrawal into town. Link turned to Saria. 

"I didn't know you could talk like that!" He raised his voice over the roar of the crowd. Saria smiled bashfully.

"There seems to be a lot you don't know about me, Link," She replied mysteriously, stopping him from responding by turning to speak to someone else standing near the gate. Link blinked in surprise, and then shook himself. Even now, groups of the townsfolk were returning with all sorts of things to be used. Link's eyes widened in surprise at some of them.

"Wait! No! Thats not... please, put that cuckoo down!" He looked around frantically, and finally looked up at his horse. Epona had been standing nervously off to the side, and now he ran up to pull himself up into the saddle. From here, he could see and hear much better.

"Okay...wait! Only one group at a time... There!" Link spotted one mass of people carrying what looked like a long bench, taken from some building in their excitement to save their Kingdom. "Let them through!" He called out, and the people grudgingly parted in straggling lines to let the group in. They came at a charge in their enthusiasm, and crashed into the gate in a clumsy mess, each one falling in a sprawl. The crowd started to close in around them in frustration, and Link spurred Epona on into the thick of it, trying to push people back. "Hold on! Hold on! Saria, try to get them to listen to you!" He called out to her. She nodded, and fought her way to the gates again. 

"That was good!" She called, trying to reassure them. "This time, lets aim for the center of the gate, where the lock is! Come on, you can do it!" The group straggled up again, and grabbed the bench again, backing up to give it another try. They came forward in a charge again, this time striking the center of the gate. There was a creaking of metal, and the crowd took this in good spirits, beginning to back away. They cheered the group on as they rammed the gate again and again, until finally, after the fifth or so hit, it bent inward fully, and the mass started to rush forward. Link beat the first wave to it, though, and Saria chased after him, until he slowed slightly, and let her catch up. He held out a hand, and she managed to grasp it, and was pulled headlong up into the saddle. 

With Link and Saria riding Epona at the lead, the whole residents of Hyrule Castle Town went charging forward up the road. 

*************

A guard who had been standing impatiently by the gatehouse turned to look at the echo of hooves coming around the bend. He raced forward, and caught Epona's reins.

"How did you get through?" He shouted. "The Castle is off limits!"

"We're here to help!" Saria said. Link nodded, taking the reins back. The guard would have said more, but there was a sudden cry of hundreds of voices, and his eyes widened at the sight of the town's residents charging up the path. He tried to step in front of them.

"Halt!" He cried. "You can't go in!"

"Open the gate you fool!" Someone shouted. "We're only here to help!"

"Yeah! So get it open before we smash the damn thing down with _you_!"

The guard gulped, and hurried back to his post, stamping his spear three times in the dust kicked up from many feet. The gate started to raise, and the army of townsfolk clambered through it. Link had led Epona to the side of the mass, and was watching them move through the suddenly-tiny gatehouse. The guard raced up to him. 

"What's going on?" Link shouted above the raised voices.

"No one's sure!" The guard responded anxiously. "The drawbridge to the castle has been raised, too! We were only ordered out here to keep the area closed off!" They all looked up to see several guards above them on the ridges, watching worriedly as the townsfolk swarmed in. 

"Everything's locked up tightern' box!" One called down. "Don't see how anyone could get in!"

"Do you want to?" Link called up. The guard looked surprised.

"'Course we would! Thats the Royal Family in there! You got a way?"

Link looked around quickly. "I think I might... Hurry, get all the guards together and bring them around the moat to the back cellar door! Don't let the people see you!" The guards all nodded, and turned to leave their posts. The gatehouse guard looked suspiciously at Link.

"Aren't you that kid who got into trouble in the Castle a while back?" He asked distrustfully.

"Yeah," Link responded absent-mindedly. "And now if you don't mind, I'm going to see if I can get you _out _of trouble now."

*************

"What do you plan to do?" Saria asked, as they ran down the ridge slope where the guards had stood minutes before. 

"I'm not sure yet," Link confessed. "But I don't think it would have done anyone any good if we'd all just stood around... Any ideas?" 

"Well," She thought on it as they snuck towards the castle at the angle that Link usually entered.

"This is more like it," He joked, checking around to see if anyone had spotted them. The mass of the townsfolk were at the raised drawbridge, making a huge fuss and stomping about in annoyance. Both could see that this group wouldn't be of much more help.

"First I think we need to know what we're dealing with," Saria said, coming to a halt as they rounded the Castle side to find the guards milling about nervously. The Chief of Guard, a tall, powerfully-built Hylian with steely gray-blue eyes, came up to Link.

"You're the one who said you had a plan?" He asked gruffly. Link hesitated, and then nodded. "Good, maybe you'd be so kind to explain it to me, then. I don't appreciate being left in the dark when it comes to my duties."

Link apologized. "First things first: We have to get in. All of the gates are locked... do you think you could break down the cellar door?" Link ventured.

The Chief shook his head doubtfully. "In time. Its solid wood, though, and aged."

"He's right," Saria nodded. "That wood is Deku. If its petrified, there's no breaking it down."

"Okay..." Link said. "So, here's what we'll do. I'm going to go through that water channel across the moat from here, and since there's no guards around, I'll head for the door in the garden. I'll go through and see if I can open this door."

The Chief squinted. "For some green clothed punk from nowhere, you sure know a bit about our Castle." 

Link shrugged. "Lucky first guess."

The Chief eyed him incredulously. "Sure, of course it is. All right then, go on, and hurry!"

Link nodded and headed for the moat. Saria started to follow, but he stopped her. "I need you to keep that mob at the drawbridge busy," He told her. "If they find we're all over here, then it could ruin my plans!"

"You don't have any plans!" She said in irritation. 

"Please, Saria," He said, meeting her eyes. "I'm counting on you to keep them busy to buy us some time." She hesitated, and then sighed. "Thanks," He said gratefully, and turned back to the moat. Saria raced back along the walk they'd crept up, and to the townsfolk at the gate.

"Hey!" Someone cried. "Where did you go?"

"Only to check all other possibilities to get in!" Saria reassured them. "Come on, lets see if we can get this bridge lowered!" The people agreed, eager now that they had something to do with all of their enthusiasm.

*************

Link squeezed through the water channel again, getting thoroughly soaked in the process, and scrabbled up through the small pool and into the garden. It was silent here, the thick stone walls absorbing the voices on the other side. The garden was empty, also, and he came around to the door to try it. It was locked, and he slammed a fist against it in frustration. Suddenly, he remembered the strange key, and he dug through his rupee bag to find it. It was still there and intact, and he rolled his eyes at his own forgetfulness. "Stupid, could have used this to get through the other side." He moved it around in the lock several times, before the catch clicked over, and it swung inward into a dark, silent hallway. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, before looking around carefully. It was empty in here, too, and he ran down the corridor until he passed the cellar and came to the rear castle door. It was easy to open from the inside, and he pushed it outwards, accidentally knocking an impatient guard over. Link peered around the door at him.

"Sorry about that," He apologized. He looked up at the surprised group of guards. "If you wanted to know, the doors open!" Leaving it up to them to enter, he turned to race back down the hallway, anxious to know what was going on in the rooms beyond.

*************

"No, no! No wait! Oh dear," Saria sighed, as several more enthusiastic Hylians jumped into the moat and began to swim across. Some were looking around in bafflement at what to do, and a few were wondering about, having lost some interest in the suddenly boring crisis at hand. "Hurry up, Link," Saria muttered to herself, watching another several townsfolk trying to uproot a tree to make a bridge. 

*************

Link ran up a wide corridor of stairs, taking the steps several at a time. He had drawn his Goron sword, and now held it as ready as he would ever be clasped in both his hands. A small platoon of soldiers was following behind him, another having split off to follow the Chief. 

When they reached the landing, Link had to halt in surprise at the sight. The sconces that had usually been set with torches were gone, leaving dark, cracked walls behind them, as if they had, well, _exploded_. Here, where the red carpet would have begun down the hallway, there was only blackened ashes and soot reaching across the floor. 

"In the name of the Triforce!" One soldier breathed, and the rest nodded their agreement. Link shook himself, and raised his voice.

"C'mon! Lets find out whats going on!" 

He continued on, and the soldiers started to follow again.

Soon they reached a much wider hallway, its torch sconces and carpet also gone, replaced by ashes and cracked walls. Double doors that were once strong and impenetrable now were shattered and bent inward, revealing a chaotic sight within the Royal Hall where the thrones stood. Link stopped in amazement at the sight, but the soldiers who had grown up in and around the Castle, raced forward through the gates to the side of the King and Queen. Link caught up to them, and laxed his grip on his sword.

The King's naturally piercing eyes were glazed, and his face was drawn and pale. His wife, the Queen, was also in a similar state, her breath coming in ragged lurches. The soldiers, fighting not to be emotional, knelt by the Royal couples' side, cradling their heads.

"Oh, what happened?" One soldier sobbed, holding the King's hand. Link looked up and around. The room was utterly destroyed: the thrones had been taken and smashed to bits, and the sconces, carpet, and any other material object in the room had either seemed to explode or burn to ashes. The mosaic windows that had once shone light in on the Royal family were now shattered beyond recognition, and bits of glass littered the whole of the chamber. The King turned his head slightly to the side.

"My... Queen... bring her to me..." The soldiers gently lifted the Queen, just as the Chief of the Guard came barreling in with his squadron of men.

"My King!" He breathed, stumbling forward and kneeling. 

"Now now, Ichiro," The King said. "Do not waste your energies on me! We have a much more important issue to...discuss." He paused for a moment in obvious pain, and Link could only marvel at the strength he showed. "My daughter, Princess Zelda, has been taken from us..." He closed his eyes for a moment in grief, and the Queen continued for him.

"A great evil has descended upon us," She spoke in calm voice that showed little of her agony. "One that has taken us all by surprise..." Here she paused to cough, and blood trailed down her elegant mouth. A soldier who was holding her hand took a cloth and gently wiped it away. "I fear what could befall our land now..." She trailed off, and the King, finding his voice, continued. 

"You..." He said, meeting Link's eyes. "You are a friend of my daughters."

The Chief looked at Link in surprise, and he himself blinked in confusion.

"But... I," He started.

"No... I understand now... You have a greatness within you... I therefore ask of you a great task, one that I can no longer carry out..." The soldiers lowered their heads in grief. "I need you to find my daughter..." He reached a free hand out towards Link. "And bring her home... as the Queen of Hyrule!"

A low moan raised among the soldiers, as each one knew what this meant. The time of the present King and Queen was passing, a new age was upon them all, for better or worse.

Link let the King grasp his hand. "I..."

"Only she, in becoming the Queen, can help us to rid the land of this evil... without her and the Triforce... I fear we may all be doomed..." 

"Take the high road to the southwest..." The Queen said, reaching out a trembling hand to clasp her husband's. "There you must find your way to the sea... and cross it, to the lands where no Hylian has gone in a thousand years... Be strong, and true of heart... For if my daughter had faith in you, than I too trust in your abilities, young one." 

Link nodded, too overwhelmed with everything to speak. 

"Ichiro, go with him... he will need your knowledge and your strength." The King rasped, squeezing his wife's hand. Ichiro bowed his head. 

"I will aid him to the best of my abilities, my Lord and Lady." He spoke.

The King nodded, looking at the faces around him in exhaustion. 

"Ah, my children... how big have you grown... Serve your new Queen well when she comes home... and never doubt your place in the hearts of Hyrule." His eyes fluttered shut for the last time, and he breathed his final breath, before both he and the Queen stilled in death. 

The room was oppressively silent, as the soldiers hung their heads in prayer to the Goddesses. Ichiro looked over at Link, dry eyed.

"They had faith in you, let it not be in vain."

Link met his gaze weakly. "I... I won't." 

Ichiro nodded dispassionately, and lowered his King's hand to his still chest, and rose stiffly. "Get to the drawbridge, all of you, and calm the people. The Orator will come to deliver the message of the King and Queens death." The soldiers were reluctant to move, but rose slowly, one by one, and trudged out of the room without a look back. Ichiro turned to Link.

"You too, kid. Get out of here and go see what that young heart of yours is up to. You're of no use here." He then turned his back to Link. 

Link nodded slowly, feeling the first telltale signs of embarrassment at what the Chief had referred to Saria as. It was the first emotion he'd felt in what seemed like a long lapse of time, and it energized him into action. He turned from the sight, and ran back through the broken doors towards the entrance hall, where the drawbridge was already being lowered.

*************

Several grim looking soldiers were already ordering the people to return to the town, and most were reluctant to do so. 

Saria spotted Link appearing out of the entrance, and raced forward through the crowd in relief. "Link! What happened?" He shook his head, and kept walking. 

"Come on!" He called out, his voice strained. "The sooner we all get back, the sooner they'll tell us what happened!" Grudgingly, the townsfolk started to turn away, disappointed that they hadn't gotten into any skirmishes or battles. At the rear of the retreating civilian army, Link walked slowly. His face was pale, and his features were drawn. Saria stopped him.

"Link... what happened?" She repeated. He sighed.

"I'll tell you in a moment... Come over here." He led her to a tall, bristled tree near the gatehouse, and sat beneath it. Epona had wondered over, and started to nibble at his hair, as if sensing his mood. He swiped at her mouth, and gave her a look, but felt grateful nonetheless.

"The King and Queen are dead," He finally said. Saria's eyes widened, and she drew back slightly.

"How? What happened?"

"I don't know..." Link continued. "Zelda has been kidnapped by somebody... I led some soldiers up to the Royal chambers, and the King instructed me to cross the sea to the southwest, and journey to some land to find her." He removed his hood and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "This certainly puts a knot in my plans," He joked weakly. Saria didn't find it funny in the least, though.

"He wants you to what? Link, no one has-"

"Been there in about a thousand years. I know, I heard," He sighed. "I don't know what to do... He said it with his dying breath... Whatever this evil is, Zelda is supposed to be the only one who can stop it."

"But why send you?" Saria responded with anxiety.

"He must know something about me... I guess Zelda must have said something. He also instructed the Chief of the Guard, I think his name's Ichiro, to come with me to help. I don't know what I'm supposed to be able to do, though. I've had enough trouble racing Gorons and dodging Gerudos. I'm not exactly cut out for the-"

"Hero business?" Saria second-guessed. She clasped his hand. "Yes you are, Link! And I know in my heart that you're not going to turn away from this! This is-"

"Come with me," He cut in. She blinked in surprise.

"What?"

"Come with me," He repeated. "You're the only one I really trust to help me. And the Goddesses know I need all the help I can get... I know we kind of got off to a bad start, but you know how to use a weapon, and I, well, don't. So come on and help me save the world!"

She backed off. "Link, the Sages-"

"Forget the Sages!" He said fiercely. "Saria, all they've done is manipulate our lives. It's time we took control of our own fate!"

Before she could respond, a guard appeared out of the gatehouse, looked around for a moment, and, spotting Link, jogged up to him. Link stood up. 

"Chief Ichiro is ready to see you." He said.

Saria rose also, to follow. The guard turned, and halted.

"Only you," He said to Link. Link shook his head. 

"She's coming with me," He responded.

The guard paused for a moment, and then shrugged, turning towards the castle.

"Fine," He responded in a clipped tone. At the moment most of the soldiers of Hyrule Castle were beyond caring, and it would be a good amount of time before the shock wore off. He led them across the drawbridge, and into the wrecked hallways. They passed the Royal Chamber where the King and Queen had died, and Link saw that the bodies were gone. Saria looked around in amazement at the walls and carpeting, but soon the guard had halted in front of another heavy door that was raked deeply with cut marks, and the frame was slightly charred. The soldier took up guard in the hallway, and Link knocked on the door. When he heard the command to enter, he swung the door inwards, and stepped in.

This room was in a mess, also. What had obviously at one point been a heavy desk in the center of the room now resembled kindling strewn about the stone floor. There were no windows in here, but the same gouge marks that had been on the wooden door were also in the walls, surrounding by hairline cracks and chipped bits of stone. The Chief of Guard, Ichiro, was crouched by a demolished scroll-case, and was leafing through the remains. Upon Link and Saria's arrival, he stood up. 

"Close the door behind you." He said, moving over to the remains of another shelf. Link was about to voice his annoyance at being ordered around, but Saria moved to shut the door before he could. She came up to stand beside him. Ichiro had knelt to pick something up. "It was a blessing that I took this from the Royal Library only several days ago. It was the most damaged area in the entire of the Castle. Somebody wanted to hide their tracks well." He dusted off a worn-looking creased scroll, and came over to them. "This map, the only remaining one of a series, was created some thousand years ago by a Hylian trader named Kojishisho."

"A thousand years ago?" Link asked in disbelief, stepping forward to peer at the aged map. Saria looked over his shoulder in curiosity.

"It was placed in the Royal Libraries much later on, in a ceremony, and a spell was put on it to protect it from the wear of age. Its brother maps were all lost in the great War of Hyrule. I consider it a sign from the Goddesses that it was preserved for so long, and that it should hold the route we need to take." Carefully, he broke the magic seal on it, and began to unravel the papyrus. Link and Saria both stepped forward to see the roughly sketched lines of coordinates over charcoal drawn land forms. In an old Hylian dialect, the islands and land masses were named and routes were written in. 

"Can you read it?" Saria asked, squinting at the strange writing. Ichiro shook his head. 

"We'll need a translator, also, perhaps a priest of the Temple. Some are supposedly still taught in the ways of the old language."

"And what if we can't find someone who can read it?" Link asked doubtfully.

"Then we rough it without it," The Chief said sharply. "This isn't a pleasure trip, kid. Hyrule is riding on the line."

"Hey hey," Saria soothed. "He was just asking. We're working together now, lets not fight over it."

The Chief squinted at her carefully as if just seeing her. "Who are you?" He finally asked. Saria looked slightly flustered.

"My name is Saria, sir, I-"

"Well, Saria, you have a gentle voice. Thats good. A calm female mind will be helpful among so many brash males." He nodded his approval, and turned to the door, going to open it and peer into the hall.

"You!" He barked at the guard. The young soldier came to attention. "Get to the library and bring me that stuffed bird of a scholar!"

Saria turned to Link in surprise at the gruff Chief's unexpected comment. Link shrugged his own confusion, though. No sense in questioning good luck. 

*************

The famous Royal scholar, an odd little Hylian by the name of Tappor, really did seem to be a stuffed bird on first sight. He was short by nature, and a plump fellow. The little spectacles on his nose-ridge seemed to magnify his already round eyes, completing the effect of reminding the viewer of an owl. He waddled in, and blinked in interest at the guests in the castle. Tappor was grieved in the death of the King and Queen, perhaps moreso than most, as he'd known them longer, but in his learnings he had found that there was no sense in mourning over such a thing, and it was best to move on. This may have been why he and the Chief of the Guards clashed so violently in most issues. Nonetheless, he came forward and offered both Saria and Link a ink-smudged hand to shake.

"Hello both of you! Its so pleasant to have such lively people in the Castle walls. Everyone has been so sluggish lately!"

"Perhaps if one would take the time to look around," Ichiro gritted, "One would notice why."

The scholar shook his head. "One must only remember Hyrule was not built on mournful children to understand that things must continue on."

Link and Saria had stood about in bemused silence up until now, but Link quickly decided that it now would be a good time to introduce himself. He stepped forward, and shook the still outstretched ink-stained hand.

"My name is Link," He introduced himself. "I work at Lon-Lon Ranch."

"And our beloved King and Queen thought to bestow such a task as this on a ranch hand! Such absent-minded rulers we must have had!" Link nodded, but was secretly startled at the strange little man's quick mind. Saria stepped forward to shake his hand and greet him next.

"Hi, my name's Saria. I'm from the Woodlands to the east." Tappor was immediately charmed by her manor, and drew her hand close to kiss. 

"It is exemplary to meet a person such as yourself, Saria. I hope we will get to discuss many interesting aspects of the forest and its legends on our journey."

"Hold it," Ichiro growled. "What do you mean 'our journey', old man?"

Tappor blinked politely, and removed his spectacles to clean the lenses. "Only that I mean to go with you, _young _man. I have dedicated my life to the studies of the dialects of Hyrule, and the old language just happens to be one of them. I believe you will be needing me." Saria smiled. 

"That would be wonderful," She said, before Ichiro could speak. Link decided to put his opinion in to help the tide.

"I agree. We need as many experts as we can... I'm afraid I'm not going to be much help on this trip. We'll need both you and the Chief to help us." Ichiro was steaming, but he nodded sharply. 

"I agree, also." He gritted. "Your expertise will be needed."

"Wonderful," The good-natured scholar replied, resting his little spectacles back on the bridge of his nose. He blinked a few times in an owlish manner, then clapped his ink-stained dusty hands together enthusiastically. "Right. When shall we depart?"


	15. Chapter 15

Hi everyone, its been awhile. Classes and work have kept me a bit busy. Disclaimers, as always, are in chapter 1. Enjoy.

Ch. 15

...And inspirations, that we deem our own,

Are some divine foreshadowing and foreseeing

Of things beyond our reason or control.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Though the Kingdom of Hyrule had an army of considerable size and abilities, it lacked in a navy, and had not had an over-water trade industry going in many years. The last remains of the fleets of Hylian ships were anchored off the southwestern coast on a beach most commonly referred to as _The Bloody Sea_. It had been the location of the last major battle in the great War of Hyrule, and the shipping business had not been active since. Ichiro made plans to send a brigade of soldiers, along with the clan of carpenters from Kakariko there to start work on rebuilding the remains of a ship that had lain rotting on its side for over a decade. In the meantime, Ichiro would choose the highest authorities aside from himself in the Castle and place them in the temporary positions of leaders until a member of the Royal family could continue the monarchy. Link and Saria found themselves busy in weapon practice, charting, learning to read maps, and preparing themselves for the dangerous journey to come. 

The preparation took a solid month, in which the town gate was mended, the people were calmed, and Hyrule Castle town returned to as much normality as it could muster. Although it was a time of sadness for the residents of the town, it was also a time of excitement as for months to come the townsfolk would proceed to congratulate their neighbors and themselves and repeatedly expand on and tell stories about the time when they had formed an army and charged the gates of Hyrule Castle.

Link found himself kept busy much of the time, and he had taken to drilling with a new platoon of young trainees. It was a surreal time for him, having only attempted a few years ago to be in the same place he was now, and now he couldn't even really enjoy it. The King and Queen were dead, the Princess was captured, and the whole of the kingdom teetered on the edge of panic. 

He saw little of Saria now, since she and Tappor were now studying scrolls and researching all remaining material from the obliterated library for their journey. Link, like any born fighter, didn't have a large amount of patience, and would have rather been in the battle-field than in a library. They were able to meet up at meals and talk about events that were happening, though, and both were glad to be able to share more stories of the childhood that they had seemingly shared in another life and time. Both had agreed not to tell any of what they discussed to either Ichiro or even Tappor, who would have found the information thrilling. It was best kept between the least possible people, Saria had warned, and Link didn't argue. It had come as a big enough shock for him; there was no need to cause anyone else the grief.

It was not that Link was growing sentimental, or that he was longing for home, more, he was thirsting for knowledge that sometimes seemed to lay dormant right behind his eyes, and sometimes seemed to be down a long murky tunnel. Through Saria did he start to learn bits and pieces of who he was, though it was never enough to give him a real taste of his 'old' life. At night, while he rested in his bunk bed in the barracks, Link often thought back to his lonely childhood, and how nice it would have been to have someone like Saria around. More and more now in the lull between drilling and learning, did he meditate on his life, and he would aimlessly wonder _where_ it was all going to. Something in his was telling him that this journey was what he needed, what he _wanted_, and that somehow, some way, perhaps in the midst of all of it, he could find himself.

*************

It was the last afternoon of the month that Ichiro called a meeting of the heads of the castle, and announced to them all that the following day he and a group of soldiers, would set out for distant shores to find and return the princess. The residents of Hyrule Castle looked on with hope, bidding the travelers safe waters and a good journey. When the meeting was over and the room was emptying, Link and Saria came up to speak to Ichiro.

"Will the ship be ready when we arrive?" Saria asked, her brow furrowing in worry. Of all three, she had the most trepidation about going on the water. It would be a far cry from the calm and sleepy forest. Ichiro nodded, rolling up several scrolls.

"The carpenters just finished two days ago, and a messenger arrived this morning. It is best that we set out as soon as possible, at first light." 

Link nodded.

"Are we taking anyone else with us?" He asked.

"A royal guard, for protecting the Princess when we find her, and that fool scholar," He added with a look of disgust. Saria sighed, and met Link's eyes with a look. Link shrugged, and they both left. 

On unspoken agreement, they headed for the gardens, and stepped out into the sunlight. The gardens had overgrown slightly since the gardeners had been in mourning and had not thought to tend them, but in a way it made them even more beautiful in their wildness. Link and Saria strolled around the small sanctuary, fitting in well in their green tunics and, in Saria's case, hair. 

"I miss the forest," She finally said, reaching out to cup a bloom that had spread open on the branch of a bush. The bloom was a deep purple, almost red, and contrasted nicely with the light green of the bush. "A garden can't compare." 

Link nodded, lost in thought. "I haven't been there in so long... I wonder if they even remember me." He did not have to say who it was for Saria to know he was referring to the Kokiri. She sighed, and let the bloom slip from her hand, to sway gently from its branch. 

"Of course they do, Link. You're not exactly easy to forget." She said, moving on to admire a fountain.

Link snorted. "Should I feel insulted?" He asked, reaching a hand out to gather water and let it run through his fingers. Saria looked up at him. 

"Of course not. I meant it by your character. Its hard to forget somebody as-"

Link flicked the water up at her, and she fell back, spluttering in outrage.

"Pigheaded as you!" She finished, glaring at him. He laughed, and sent another spray of water in her direction. Saria ducked, and retaliated, using both her hand to scoop and shove the water at him. The small water fight went on for several more minutes, until both were soaked, and an old maid came out to scold them. They tried to look sheepish, but in the end, both fell into a fit of laughter, and the maid left in a huff. Afterwards, they retreated to take a seat on the fountain's edge, and admired the sunset. 

"Its nice to see the sun like this," Saria commented. "I don't think I'll ever grow tired of watching it set."

Link nodded. "Its hard to see in the forest because of all of the trees. I remember how amazed I was when I first stepped out into the fields and saw the open sky... Wow," He commented, remembering it. The setting sun cast a rich red onto everything it touched, and both tipped their heads back as it began to dry their shivering bodies. 

*************

Morning came early, and while the servants forcefully insisted that they carry Link and Saria's supplies to the wagon, the two were brought before the outfitter to make sure all of their clothing fit. The outfitter was a brisk woman who tut-tutted at either of them when they did so much as look the wrong way, though it was all done amiably.

"Now now, my dear," She tutted at Saria, "you are such a beautiful young woman, but you insist on wearing these drab clothes! None of the young men will be able to see your curves underneath this nonsense!" Saria rolled her eyes at Link, and Link chuckled to himself. The outfitter, seeing Link's smile, gave him a crafty squint.

"Or is that your plan, young man?" She chided Link. "Shame on you for keeping her all to yourself!" Link looked bewildered and a faint red rose on his cheeks. Saria laughed silently out of the woman's view, and it was Link's turn to roll his eyes when she met his gaze.

*************

Ichiro was waiting impatiently by the wagon for them when they arrived, and gave Tappor a seething look when eventually, the short scholar, leading several servants carrying large trunks, came out at a casual pace. Around them in a formation the Royal guard was traveling horseback. Each guard had sword and shield, and a heavy spear tied to their mounts. They were a serious bunch, and did not turn as Saria bid them good-morning. She sighed, and climbed up into the wagon ahead of the supply one. Link paused at the supply wagon's side, the whole scene reminding him of home. He drummed his fingers on the wooden paneling, and then pulled himself up into the driver's seat. Ichiro would be driving the wagon ahead of him, and he would be taking this one. Tappor finally scrambled up into the seat beside him, and peered around in interest.

"It's so nice to see the country side after being cooped in a castle. Wouldn't you agree?"

Link groaned inwardly, wishing that he could at least ride with Ichiro so he wouldn't have to deal with talking the whole cross-country trip. Saria had taken the seat beside the stoic Ichiro, who even now was taking his job of commanding a wagon seriously. He turned to the waiting Tappor.

"I guess I haven't really been in a castle that much, so I wouldn't know." He responded as politely as possible. Tappor nodded, unfazed.

"Well, I suppose anyone can still admire such a lovely trip, no matter where they have come from. It is only my deepest hopes that we do not come up against much trouble on this journey ahead of us."

Link could at least agree with that.

*************

Ahead, Saria squirmed uncomfortably on the hard wagon seat, and turned to Ichiro. "Have you ever been on a ship?" She asked, trying to make conversation for the trip ahead. 

"No, though my father had." He said, and made no further attempts at conversation. Saria sighed inwardly, and looked back to see Link looking slightly annoyed as Tappor talked away about something or another. She smiled, and waved back at them. Tappor gave a very delighted wave, and Link gave her an exasperated look. She laughed, and turned to face forward again, feeling excitement and slightly nervous at the start of her first quest. 

*************

As they traveled through the town, surrounded by the guard, the whole of Hyrule Castle town came out to line the streets and cheer. Some groups held up colorful signs wishing them luck, and others threw confetti at them. Link, Saria, and Tappor turned to grin and wave to the enthusiastic crowd on either side of the procession. Ichiro and the guard remained as stoic as ever, though, to many people's furthered excitement. It was the Chief of the Guard: Ichiro the Magnificent! The more he tried to ignore them, the louder they cheered and some even began to weep, holding their children up for a blessing, until Link and Saria were beside themselves with barely suppressed laughter. 

A young guard at the drawbridge saluted fervently to each of them, and received a curt nod from the Chief, sending him into fits of emotion. 

Soon, they were out on the fields, and all fell into a calm silence. Link held the reins of the two horses loosely in his grip, expertly relaxed to the horses' rhythmic walking. Tappor wasn't as fortunate, though, and he was jostled about quite a bit before he could steady himself also. Ahead of them, Link could see Saria trying to start a conversation with the Chief of Guard, and he shook his head wryly. They'd situated it this way, though, to keep Tappor and Ichiro apart, for who knew what sort of argument could be started? Sooner or later the two would have to get a long, Link realized. They would all need to band together for the journey before them. 

*************

Towards noon, Ichiro stopped his wagon at a crossroads, and climbed out to speak with one of the guards. Link watched curiously, and then also climbed out, and made his way to the front to hear the conversation.

"...This way is all wrong. I don't care if it's a shortcut!"

"But sir, this would save us several days of travel-"

"At a greater price, soldier! The forest is not kittenplay!"

"But its only the outskirts, sir, we won't even go past where the sun shines-"

"Excuse me," Link butted in. "What's going on?" Ichiro looked angry at the interruption, but he responded anyway. 

"He wants us to take a shortcut through the Lost Woods, to save time. But it is a foolish trade for a few days if we are ensnared in the dark magic of that forest!"

"I don't think that will happen," Link said. "If you stay in there too long, it may, but not if we travel quickly, it shouldn't." Ichiro was about to retort in annoyance at Link, who he considered to be a clueless town boy, before Saria spoke up.

"He's right. Unless you really go in too deep, or stay too long, no one should be affected." Ichiro squinted his eyes at her. 

"And how would you know this?" He growled.

"Because I used to live... around the outskirts of the woods," She lied, "And I went into the woods many times to gather mushrooms and kindling. As long as you don't stay long, nothing happens." Ichiro eyed them suspiciously for several more moments, and she finally pointed to Link's ocarina at his belt. "That's a rare wood from the forest," She said, guessing that he had been studying it before. "You won't find a wood like it anywhere in Hyrule, except from the fruit trees in the woods." Finally, convinced, he grudgingly turned to the head of the guard, and nodded.

"Fine, we'll take the eastern route. But keep your eyes open," He ordered each of them. "This isn't a game! You've all been chosen for the purpose of saving the Princess! Stay sharp!" He turned and climbed back into the wagon, and Link and Saria exchanged glances, before both went back to their places. The wagon caravan started moving again, and they did not halt their progress until nightfall.

*************

Kafka leaned back in the slightly blood-splattered throne chair, and idly watched their prisoner. Juno, who had no patience, and who was never still, was pacing around her, making sure her bonds were not too tight, or her cuts too great. Command rested at the stolen throne's side, it's blade wiped free of any traces of remaining blood. 

Zelda crouched in a stoop, her tear-streaked face held up defiantly. She was in agony, not from her own wounds, but from the memory of her mother and father who had stood protectively in front of her. Both had considerable magic powers, but neither had been able to stand up against the seemingly, at first, harmless young travelers. Kafka grinned, and leaned forward.

"Well well, Princess, what do you think of our humble home? Its yours now, for the time being, I would get used to it if I were you."

Juno knelt down at the Princess' side to check that her bound wrists weren't being cut by the rope, and Zelda jerked away from the touch, meeting the wide blue eyes with a fearless look. Kafka laughed.

"You're a spitfire, all right." He turned to his brother. "I don't think I even want that stupid bit of land, after all. This is so much better. I didn't even see any real magic... That old bastard must have been lying to us!" Juno nodded, and hopped up the steps to lean on the throne behind his brother.

"She's a treasure," Juno said, eyeing the lovely princess happily. "I think maybe someday I'll marry her."

"Marry her?" Kafka scoffed. "She's an animal! Look at her ears, how they're pointed! She must be some kind of damn cat!" Juno hadn't seemed to notice, though, and watched her thoughtfully from behind the throne. Kafka sighed, his amusement gone, and rose, stepping forward to lift the princess' chin. 

"Poor brave cat," He smirked. "Soon enough you'll learn your place." Zelda jerked her head away, and said something in the strange language that all of the Hylian natives spoke. "It's fortunate that I don't know what you're saying," He laughed cruelly. "Because you're in no place to make me angry! Slave!" He called out, and at the back of the chamber, the frail and pathetic looking creature they'd taken to Hyrule rose with a clatter of his chains. "Take our _royal_ guest to the room we had prepared for her!" Juno tried to help the princess up, but she wrenched away from him, and rose on shaky, weak legs to follow the wretched slave. Kafka went back to sprawl in her throne chair that he'd saved from Juno's destruction, and watched her leave thoughtfully.

"So, old fool," He muttered to himself where Juno, who had left to also see the princess to her room, could not hear. "This is what you were so interested in our getting for you... Well, I don't think we'll be doing business, after all."


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimers in Ch. 1 (what a big surprise). Thanks for your reviews and emails. And don't worry, I didn't forget about the angst. There's a lot more to dish out as we go!

Ch. 16

Fear death?-to feel the fog in my throat,

The mist in my face.

-Robert Browning

"I saw you had a lovely young equine when you came to our castle! What happened to her? Surely she is well?" Tappor asked, having seated himself on a feather cushion he'd thought to bring. It was the first night out, and already the scholar and Saria both were sore to the bone. Ichiro had made a separate fire from them to take the first night watch, and the guard had moved in around their Chief. Link, Saria, and Tappor's fire was nestled in the crook below the hill the Guard had settled on. Link threw bits of grass into the fire, and sighed.

"I left her with the stable hands, and asked them to take her back to Lon Lon. I hope she'll be okay," He added thoughtfully. He would miss Epona, that was for sure. It seemed like the horse had been at his side through thick and thin. The scholar nodded.

"It is never easy to leave behind the ones you care for. Rest easy, though, for I surmise that she would not enjoy a trip over the sea as much as we." Link shrugged, and nodded.

"I guess you have a point, there." He admitted grudgingly. Tappor chuckled, and patted his shoulder.

"I should hope so," He responded. "Or else what have I been doing with all of my time?"

Link didn't really catch the humor of it, but he smiled politely. There was a rustling nearby, and he placed a hand over the Goron sword. However, it was Saria with more dried twigs and bark for the fire.

"It's all I could find," She apologized, plopping down next to Tappor with a tired sound. "Oh, I'm sore in so many places I didn't even know existed! I hope the whole trip isn't going to be like this," She added. Link shook his head.

"You'll get used to it pretty soon. It's the ship thing I'm worried about..."

"You? Worried?" Tappor clucked. "I never would have thought it, seeing your warrior facade. One does find out the most interesting things at the oddest of times!" He said cheerfully, adding bits of bark to the fire. Saria grinned at Link, and he rolled his eyes. They heard another rustling, and looked up to see Ichiro sliding down the hill. He came forward a knelt beside Link, unrolling a map of Hyrule that had recently been updated to include any new buildings or landmarks. 

"This is the route we're taking," He told Link, running a hand up the map until it came to a colorful area he took to be the forest. "If you're right, and we're able to travel through the outskirts, we'll have saved several days journeying to the coast." Link nodded.

"Do they know we're coming?" He asked. Ichiro snorted.

"Of course. A message was sent back yesterday with the runner. They'll have known for a few hours yet." He stood up stiffly. "Get some sleep, all of you. Tomorrow's a long day." With that, he turned and trudged back up the hill to his watch.

"He's stern about everything, huh?" Saria asked, watching the Chief in the dark. Tappor nodded, taking off his spectacles to lay down with a huff on his sleeping bag. 

"He takes his job far too seriously, I'm afraid. The King and Queen praised him for it though, so I presume he'll continue in it." It was only several minutes later that the scholar began to snore loudly in his sleep. Saria grinned at Link, who gave an exasperated sigh.

"There goes our sleep for the night." He muttered. "Maybe Ichiro had a good idea, going up there to sleep." Link yawned, and went to his own sleeping gear, to settle down for the night. He placed the Goron sword within reach, and contented himself for awhile to lie back and watch the fire dance across the blade. He heard Saria situating herself on the other side of the fire, and leaned up. 

"Good night," He called in a low voice. After a moment, Saria answered.

Satisfied that his life had finally achieved some direction for the moment, Link closed his eyes, and settled in the blanket, his thoughts running leisurely over the days events, before he too, like the scholar, succumbed to a deep sleep.

*************

The burn of the grain under his feet touched him through even the thick boots, and he trudged along, his ears deafened by the howl of the wind. He ducked his head, trying to keep the swirling, burning sand out of his face, and paused ever so often to peer through it. It was no use. He eased up, and squinted, looking around. A drop of sweat trickled down his brow, and he blinked, feeling the sting of it in his eyes. He would have to find the path some other way. He turned to try to head back the way he had come, but the wind screaming around him became more insistent, and he struggled to keep his balance. 

Narrowing his sore and dry eyes against the thick spray of sand, he looked for any land mark that could help him...

Suddenly, the deafening sound of the wind shifted, and then seemed to twist into a jeering, and became laughter, the mocking laughter that he now knew and hated. He whirled around, and tried to find it, and saw, in the distance, a dark blur. He pulled his boots from the grabbing sand, and started to run towards it. However, when he came to the place where it had been, nothing stood, and he turned, slowly, his eyes taking in the nothingness around him.

He was lost now, trapped in a death pit of sand and sun, tired and burnt under the strain, the screaming wind tearing, tearing, at his soul...

*************

Link awoke with pain, and jerked about for a few seconds until he realized the root of his agony. His leg was spasoming, the muscle cramped. Leaning forward and pushing the blanket away from his body, he grasped the leg and tried to soothe the taut, straining muscles. 

When the pain finally eased, he sat up, and looked around. It was still night, though streaks of gray were already coloring the dark sky. The fire had dimmed low, and he shivered, pulling himself up to add the last remains of twigs to it, and pushed the embers around. It slowly rose again, until he could put his hands forward and warm them. Link sighed. There was no sense in trying to sleep any more, the nightmare had startled him too much now. He went back to retrieve the sleeping bag, and sat by the fire, wrapping it around his chilled frame. Tappor was sleeping several feet away, and his snoring had diminished during the night to a heavy breathing. Saria was curled up close by, her face hidden below a blanket she clutched tightly. Her hair spread out from underneath the blanket, richer than the grass she had slept on. Link turned thoughtful, and let his eyes raise to take in the darkness above. Here and there, a scattering of morning stars still winked, though soon the rising sun would block them out. 

To his left, he could here someone rising to their feet, and he looked up as Ichiro came down the hill, and stopped down beside him. Link waited, and for several minutes Ichiro said nothing. Then:

"I didn't stake you for an early riser," He said, telling Link without words that he still believed him to be a kid, and not worthy of journeying with Hyrule's finest. Link breathed deeply of the night air, his breath fogging in the cold.

"I used to work at Lon Lon," He responded. "I had to be up to work with the horses this early, and sometimes earlier." Ichiro seemed to think on this, and then nodded slowly. 

"Let them sleep a bit longer," He changed the subject. "Girls and old men should not be traveling like this to begin with." Link looked up at him.

"Saria can handle herself," He said curtly. "She isn't just some girl." He felt oddly protective of the woman curled up vulnerably on the other side of the fire. Ichiro nodded again.

"Of course. Its good to have a level-headed woman with us. I didn't mean to imply anything about your lady." He rose up again to rub his cold hands together briskly. Link rose also. 

"Look, we're friends." Link told him seriously. "Please don't go around saying that."

Ichiro shrugged. "My apologies, then," He said. He turned abruptly, and headed back uphill, to where the Guard was waking up.

Link sighed, and turned to gather his own equipment together. 

*************

A little later, as faint streaks of color started to lance across the sky, Link woke both Saria and Tappor. Saria scolded him gently for letting her sleep later, but he could tell she was grateful for the extra rest. It would take a few days for her to get use to the jostle of the wagons. Tappor donned his foggy spectacles, and began a conversation immediately with the two of them on the benefits of certain foods for breakfast.

"...For instance, a hundred years ago, Hylians would eat fruit only for breakfast. It was believed to hold certain qualities if consumed at certain times of the day, and the Zorons..."

And so on. 

They ended up having a quick breakfast of day-old bread rations. Ichiro had acquired bread and cheeses for them to eat until they reached the ship, where they would stock up on nonperishable foods to take overseas. By sunrise, they had the wagons repacked, and were setting off again for the day's travel.

This time, Link suggested that Tappor walk a bit to work at the soreness that developed from riding too long sitting still. The stocky scholar proclaimed this an acceptable idea, and he got out several times to walk along the wagon side. Up ahead, Saria, having taken the advice from Link also, was walking beside the horses. By noon, they had reached another fork in the rode. This one proclaimed that not far ahead lay the beginnings of the forest. The forest in itself was harmless if one should wander through, as long as you stayed where you could see the sun above. However, the deeper you went, the thicker the canopies became, until the sun was blocked out, and the woods became murky and quiet, devoid of any natural life. Here, the darkness was enchanted, and to become lost was to forfeit ones natural life. Anyone: Hylian, Goron, or Zoron, who wandered here became monsters, cursed creatures. 

Ichiro shaded his eyes, and scanned the terrain which had become less hilly. More vegetation had started to grow the farther east they went, and several trees were scattered about: telltale signs of their approach of the forest. 

The stern Chief swished the reins of his two steeds, and they went on, taking the route towards the forest that would either provide them a shortcut, or steal their lives.

*************

All were now silent, including Tappor, who sensed the danger in the still air. The wind had stopped, swallowed up by the thick forest that lay on the horizon, in a long, dark line. When they came close enough to make out individual trees on the forest outskirts, Ichiro halted them again. He turned to Saria, who realized her job. She stood up on the seat, and turned to all of them.

"Okay, now, listen up you guys. Up ahead is the forest, and deeper in is the Lost Woods. We'll all be fine as long as we stay together, and travel in a strait line..."

"That's right," Ichiro warned. "So if there's any last minute things you must do, I suggest you do them now. If you stop in the woods, you stop alone. It'll be up to you to catch up."

Saria looked at him in shock. "Um, well... Just, everybody pay attention, okay? Link and I will take the lead..." Link nodded at the unspoken request, and climbed down from his own wagon. Ichiro looked annoyed at the idea that he would have to ride with Tappor, but he was a soldier, and all personal likes or dislikes were to be ignored in such times. He trudged back and climbed up into the drivers seat of the supply wagon.

"Listen," He growled to Tappor. "Don't even try to talk to me right now, unless you want to find yourself walking behind the wagon, understand?" Tappor blinked frostily at him.

"I believe I understand the importance of this situation, Chief Ichiro. And I think it also necessary that we're able to communicate in times of need."

Ichiro muttered something under his breath, and picked up the reins. "All right!" He called. "Let's move out!"

**************

Link swished the reins along the two steeds backs, and they moved on. 

"How're you doing?" He said, turning to Saria. She was getting jostled around a bit more now that the ground was becoming rocky and grassy. She turned and gave him a thumbs up.

"As well as one could expect under the situation, I guess," She responded. "It's going to be strange being so close to home, Link, don't you think?" She asked, peering forward at the foliage. Link shrugged. 

"...It was never really home for me," He admitted quietly. "My childhood wasn't exactly that great." Saria turned to watch him thoughtfully for a few minutes as they rolled under the shade of the forest's first wave of trees. 

"I think I understand. Children can be very cruel to those who are different. I'm just sorry I wasn't there for you to talk to... and Navi-"

"Navi?" Link interrupted. "I heard you mention her... was she a fairy?"

"She was your fairy," Saria responded. "She came to you when you were about eleven, I think..." She sighed. "That's about when you left... You stopped the evil that was spreading inside of the Great Deku Tree, though he died shortly after- It must be amazing to hear all of these things about yourself," She said, catching his look.

"Yeah," Link responded. "I never saw myself as the hero type..."

"Being a hero is a lot more than fighting monsters and saving the land," Saria chided with a slight smile. "It's also about being brave and strong and-"

"All right, all right, I get it. You really think I'm a hero, huh? I mean, maybe I ran around saving people in your time, but now I haven't done much."

"Yes you have! And besides, just because you don't remember it, doesn't mean it didn't happen. You're the same person who went out and saved Hyrule from Ganandorf, Link."

Link looked around, and shushed her. "Its starting to get quiet... I guess we should concentrate on where we're going now." Saria nodded, dropping the conversation for later, and turned to keep her eyes on the trail. 

Saria pointed a tree out to Link. "See that? You carved your initials on it. Mido was really mad. As an unspoken rule, Kokiri aren't supposed to harm the trees. I wonder if you conveniently forgot that." Link peered through the slight mist, and nodded. 

"I remember doing that when I was about ten or so... And you're right, Mido was pretty ticked off about it." Saria smiled. 

"You can't see it, but my name's carved under yours, too. I did it so Mido couldn't really stay angry. Once he saw what I had done he couldn't very well scold you and not me."

"He had a thing for you, huh?" Link asked, and a very faint blush rose on Saria's cheeks. "Thought so. It seems like in all of your stories you're as bad as me, but you get away with a lot more." Saria laughed softly.

"Oh no, no one has ever been as bad as you Link, in or out of the forest. But I was- am, respected among the Kokiri because of my closeness to the forest itself. And I guess because Mido, our great self-proclaimed leader, was a little soft on me."

Link suddenly thought of something. "What happened to _your_ fairy?" He asked. Saria looked startled at the change of topic.

"Oh, he's gone, back to the Great Deku Tree, I suppose. When I began to grow older, I started to wander farther and farther away from the forest... Sooner or later, he just... drifted away." Her tone was thoughtful, and sad at the same time, and Link felt bad for bringing it up. 

"Sorry," He muttered. "I know how close a fairy and a Kokiri can be." 

Saria nodded. "I'm surprised one of your first memories wasn't of Navi. You two became close because of all of the danger you put yourselves through. I wonder if she remembers-"

She was cut off, though, by the abrupt stop of the horses, who began to twist and try to struggle out of their reins. Link saw the fear in their dark, widened eyes, and leaned forward over the wagon to try and calm them. Their panic was sharp, and it was caught by the two horses attached to the supply wagon behind. Ichiro lunged forward to catch them before they could twist themselves up too badly. He looked up and ahead.

"What the hell's going on?" He called up to Link irately. The Royal Guard had surrounded them again in a semi-circle. Link stood up and jumped out of his seat, looking around as the horses started to calm slightly. The forest had seemed to stop in its very living, and not a leaf rustled. The air was still and thick. Suddenly, a piercing, echoing sound poured in from somewhere in the dark woods. The horses began to panic again, this time twisting until they had snapped the ropes that held them. Link lunged forward to catch the ropes, and was dragged several feet before he could stop the flight by shoving his boots into the twisted roots of a tree.

"Wolfos!" He shouted, twisting from his hold to watch the suddenly rustling bushes with widened eyes. 


	17. Chapter 17

Hey look, the only reason I keep saying this is because it's a legal issue. Otherwise, I would shoot it and rid myself of it, really: Disclaimers in Ch. 1. Bit of a shorty here, but I hope I start making them acceptably longer here. Enjoy.

Ch. 17

I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.

I learn by going where I have to go.

-Theodore Roethke

The very trees seemed to recoil as a myriad of snarls and sharp barks poured in and around the two wagons. Rapidly, a handful of rough, slouching shapes came darting out of the bushes, surrounding them in a bristling circle. The Wolfos were the dirge of the forest, for not even the Stalfos or Stalkids would dare tread into their domain, and the Kokiri had a healthy fear of the creatures. 

They were called the dirge for a reason, for they were hulkish in shape, dark furred and fanged, but in a way were almost Hylian, too. One lunged forward in a neat flip, and ended up at the edge of the first wagon. It's hand-like grasping paws sported sharp, clawed talons, and each one sank into the wagon side. Saria fell back in a stumble as it lifted itself into the wagon, and gave her the most malicious of grins, showing a mouthful of long, jagged teeth. 

Behind them, Ichiro had stood up in his seat, unsheathing his long-sword to brandish it at two of the creatures loping forward on all fours. When they had reached the wagon, they rose up onto two hind legs, and held their paws out in a balanced battle stance. Two more approached from the wagon's other side, and one clipped through the ropes restraining the horses neatly. They would be easier to find later for so many hungry Wolfos. One of the guards, seeing this, sprang from his mount and drew his sword to rake a jagged line along the creatures back. The Wolfos sprang forward in surprise and pain, and turned, rising up also to deal the guard a blow to the stomach. The soldier fell back in surprise and agony at the sudden move, and another man came forward with a heavy spear to stab at the Wolfos who had sprang upon the fallen one. 

Around them, there was a mad chaos as each Wolfos darted in at half-lopes to do some sort of calculated damage, and Link fought to hold onto the horses. He was finally able to drag them to a tree, where he looped their reins around it several times and tied it off. He then turned back to the battle, unsheathing the sword on his back to lunge and stab at the Wolfos above Saria. The Wolfos, seeing his intentions, back flipped of off the wagon, and came around to head butt him. Saria had risen in the seat again, and had taken the bow from her back to knock an arrow off at the creature. 

The arrow found its mark in the Wolfos' shoulder, and the creature flinched under the hit, turning to narrow its gleaming eyes at her. It gave a spitting snarl, and leapt upward to attack her, but was tackled halfway up by Link. Both hit the ground in a tumble, and Link fought to grab his sword underneath them. The Wolfos retaliated by kicking all four limbs up at Link, and he was propelled back several feet away. 

Ichiro, who was the top elite of Hyrule Castle, had managed to kill one of the skulking creatures, and shouted to Tappor to catch the horses who were struggling to untangle themselves and get away. Tappor had been staring in awe at the skirmish, but now scrambled up and tried to chase after the horses, managing to grasp one's bridle right as they loosed themselves, and galloped away into the forest. 

"Heeeeeeelp meeeeeeeeeeeee!" The scholar called, and Ichiro turned to stare in amazement at the spectacle. 

"Damn fool's got himself into a mess," He growled, turning to spit another attacking Wolfos on his blade. 

*************

In a few more moments, several Wolfos had fallen, and seeing themselves outnumbered, the creatures fled back into the undergrowth with a chilling howl. 

The travelers looked around, trying to collect themselves. Although at least all of them had been hurt in a way, there were no further casualties. Saria had started to tremble, as she realized how close she had come to killing a living thing. She sat down hard in the wagon seat, and looked around bleakly. Link stood panting, looking around to make sure none of the enemy was left. He turned to the horses, and raced over to untie their reins. 

"It looks like we'll have to divide them up between the wagons," Ichiro called, resheathing his sword. Link looked around in confusion, his back protesting from where he'd hit the ground.

"Where's Tappor?" He asked, seeing both the scholar and the horses from the supply wagon missing. Ichiro sighed in irritation.

"He grabbed the reins of the horses when they escaped, and the fool was dragged off with them. I'm afraid we may see neither again."

Link was shocked by his tone. "What do you mean? We have to look for him!"

Ichiro turned back. "And risk all of us becoming lost? Don't be foolish. We have to press on."

Link looked around in helplessness as the guards started to mount their horses again. He let his eyes drift around for a moment, and then squared his shoulders.

"Fine. I'm going to go find Tappor, you can keep going." He said, and turned to disappear into the shadows of the trees. Ichiro looked up in startlement, then swore under his breath.

"Damn kid.... Let's go! We've already been here too long!" 

*************

Link raced through the forest, heedless of the branches that whipped into his face, cutting into his skin. Around him, the scenery was starting to twist, and it wasn't long before the sun was blocked out by the trees above, and the whole world seemed to fall into darkness around him. 

Link slowed to a walk. He forcefully kept himself from thinking, because if he had stopped to think, then he would realize he was lost, deep in the Lost Woods. Here only the occasional lights of wild fairies flashed in the murky, twisted forest, and Link wandered through helplessly. He kept his ears tuned in for any sound to help guide him, but nothing came, and he began to feel himself lose hope.

_No_, he ordered himself. To lose hope was to lose yourself. It was the quickest way to fade into the woods and lose your form. Link gritted his teeth, and kept moving. Above him the canopy of trees seemed to grow darker, and he had to wonder how long he'd been walking around. ...Too long? _How long do I have?_

After a period of more walking, Link caught site of something flashing in-between the twisted limbs and branches of trees. He paused and listened intently, and heard a noise unlike a fairy or forest creature. The distant shouting of a voice, and the clomping of hooves. His heart began to beat faster, but he stilled, and listened as it came closer. Soon, through the shadows of the overhead trees, a shape came into view, and he dived to the side just in time as the two tangled horses came bursting through the foliage, the unfortunate Tappor still hanging on gamely. 

"Let go!" Link shouted, racing after them to try and stop the horses. The hapless scholar finally released the ropes from his death grip, and Link lunged forward, grasping one of the flailing rope ends. He dug his feet into the ground, and let the force of the moving animal's propel him around until he was stopped forcefully by a tree. Stars burst behind his eyes, but he gamely held on, and wrapped the rope several times around the tree, tying it off. The horses jerked about, and came to a stop, eyes widened and sides heaving. Link stepped back from the tree, still slightly dazed, and carefully walked around the horses, catching their reins and soothing them. It took a few minutes, but finally the horses settled, and Link rubbed their noses. 

"Good boys," He said. The horse on the right snorted, and nosed his hand. Tappor, who had recovered, came up to stand by him.

"You have a gift with horses," The scholar said, seemingly over his encounter of being dragged bodily through the Lost Woods. Link nodded slowly, his eyes on the horses. He finally turned around, and looked at the scholar.

"Are you all right?" He asked, eyeing the little man's roughened front.

"Quite all right," The scholar responded, taking his surprisingly still intact spectacles from a pocket, and putting them on. "I'm amazed you found me. I thought for sure that I would be left behind."

Link shook his head fervently. "No, nobody gets left behind. We're all in this together now."

Tappor nodded at him with a smile. "Spoken well and truthfully." He turned to eye their surroundings. "Now, I don't suppose you know the way back?" 

Link sighed wearily, and turned also to search the identical trees and trails. 

"Not really," He responded, feeling the edge of uneasiness again. Tappor, however, turned out to be level-headed by nature. 

"Well," He said. "I suppose we will have to start walking about and calling a bit, won't we? No sense in staying here and fixating on woes." Link turned in surprise, but nodded, stepping up to the horses again.

"I hope you can ride bareback," He stated, grasping the closest horse's mane to pull himself up onto its back. Tappor eyed the other one slightly warily.

"I suppose this is the best time to learn." He stated weakly, and scrabbled about for a few moments, finally able to climb the harassed horse's side. The two turned their horses in the direction that Link hoped he had come from, and rode into the dancing shadows of the overhead trees. 

*************

"I do believe we are utterly lost." Tappor said thoughtfully, peering around. Link nodded. 

"You're right. We've been lost for awhile now." He confessed, and shook his head in frustration. "If only I had something to guide me... something to follow, I could get us out of here!" Tappor looked at him curiously.

"Then you truly have been here before?"

"I grew up here," Link said distractedly, looking around himself in aggravation. It was as if he was trying to remember something... Something that was right before him that he couldn't grasp. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and listened intently. 

...Nothing.

So what was it that he was listening for? The woods were deathly quiet, only the stir of swaying branches and the darting fairies could be heard. Suddenly, he heard it, faintly, and for a moment he wondered if he had heard it at all. It was nothing, only a sound, almost in the back of his mind, as if it were something to be overlooked. 

Link focused intently on it, and bade Tappor be silent. The scholar watched curiously as Link's brow furrowed in concentration. His eyes suddenly snapped open, and he swung down of the horse's back, handing the reins to the scholar.

"Follow me," He said in a low voice, and started to walk forward almost as if in a trance, eyes closed and head lowered in intense concentration. Several times Tappor thought he had lost him, for the woods were strange, and trees that had not been there a moment before would flicker into view. Shadows lengthened and shortened as if of their own will, and a thick mist sometimes hindered vision. 

Link tilted his head to the side, his eyes tightly shut, ears trained almost painfully on the faint sound he could hear echoing. This was what he had been missing, and it was heartening to suddenly hear it. He followed it, willing it to grow louder, and slowly it started to. He trudged along, sometimes tripping over roots or rocks, into a clearing slightly ahead of Tappor.

Here he tilted his head forward, and stumbled on, holding his hands out to find the source of the song. His hands touched something solid, and his eyes flew open in startlement to see Saria several inches away. He blinked, and grasped her hands. 

"Saria..." He said fervently. "I followed your song." Saria nodded slowly, her features sad and drawn. Beyond her, in the distance, the woods ended, and Ichiro stood impatiently with the wagons. Link was loathe to move on.

"How?" He finally said. "You guided me... the forest... it echoed your song... How?" Saria pulled her hands away, though.

"It's just one of those Sage things... I'm glad your back, now come on, we have to go." She turned abruptly, and headed back towards the wagons. Tappor drew the horses to a halt beside Link, who was staring after her dumbly. The scholar shook his head.

"Ah, magic. It's interesting how things operate the way they do, is it not?"

"Yeah..." Link muttered, shaking his head slowly. "Incredible. Now come on, she's right, we need to get out of here. It's already midnight." He took the reins of his horse again, and the two made their way out of the enchanted forest.

*************

For the remainder of the night, both groups made their fires on level ground, and Link was given the first watch until the early morning. It was well enough, for he didn't feel like he could sleep even if he was given the chance.

His thoughts were full of the forest, and of the song Saria had played, and lastly- of Saria. All along, lost in the woods, he had been searching for the song, putting his whole faith and trust in finding it. It annoyed him that he had become so lost looking for it... Yet eventually, he heard her playing it, and went strait to her. Thanks to her, both he and Tappor were still alive...

Link sighed, and wished he could have been thankful, but it made him uneasy, and put a new distance between him and to young woman he'd begun to value as a friend.

*************

Later, when soft streaks of gray began to paint the dark night sky, one of the guards came to relieve him, and he went back to his sleeping bag, collapsing back on the cold blanket with a sigh, his back aching. Soon the sun would be up, and though he needed sleep, his mind would not still. Eventually, close to dawn, his eyes drifted shut, and he slipped into an uneasy sleep.

*************

Morning came in the blink of an eye for the tired young Hylian, and he rose stiffly as someone shook him into wakefulness. It was Tappor, who gave him an apologetic look.

"The good Chief Ichiro would appreciate our setting out as soon as we find it possible, which, naturally means at a wretched hour such as this. Perhaps you could catch a slight repose in the back of the wagon while I drive?" He added. Link looked at him gratefully, but shook his head.

"No, it would be better to just wait it out until tonight. I don't want to mess my hours up." Tappor grudgingly nodded, and they gathered up their supplies into the wagon. Saria was already ready and seated in the one ahead of them, and Link watched her with a sigh, wondering who had hurt who more the day before with something as innocent as a wordless tune.

*************

The following days past uneventfully, their journey across the vast fields taking up the long days. Along the way, they saw few interesting sights as they went farther away from the Royal Castle, and deeper into unpopulated land, although at one point Tappor did claim he spotted a rabbit-hooded man sprinting headlong across the wild grass. No one else had seen the wonder, and Link hadn't been in much of a mood to discuss it with him, and so they pressed on, day-in and day-out, towards the Southwestern shores.

*************

By late afternoon of the twelfth tedious day, the terrain had begun to change drastically from anything that any of the traveler's had known, and they started to encounter stretches of flattened ground with a yellowish, strange grass that grew like a carpet. The horses, who had been accustomed to stooping every once in a while to catch a mouthful, now snorted and shook their heads at the strange, salty flavor of the flora here. Exotic birds overhead cried out in high-pitched drawn out noises, and several times an errant breeze would bring a sharp, salty scent to their noses. 

"We're close to the shores," Ichiro called out at one point, and Link prepared himself for anything. 

The sight, however, that greeted them over the next rise of the final grassy hill, was like nothing Link could have ever imagined, and his jaw dropped in utter amazement at the scene stretched out before him.

As far as the eye could see, the world that had been once flat, hilly fields suddenly became a place of deep, dark blue waters. Waves as high as a Goron's chest crashed in crests, producing foamy white streaks in the otherwise dark, deep water. The sound of the waves crashing surrounded them wholly, and even Ichiro was startled into an awe-filled silence. 

They had come at last to the sea.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimers, if anybody's looking for them, are in Ch.1! The next in the Zelda series will be coming out soon, anyone see the commercial for it? I must say, I have mixed feelings. I was hoping that there would be a continuation of Ocarina of Time, or at least the same style would be used, but hey, its not my place to make the calls (maybe someday!)   
Author's Notes: To wayofwater: Well, young feller-me-lad, I should thrash you for your insolence!- Just kidding. Incidently, this is the kind of thing I've been asking all of you for: questions, comments, ideas, blah blah. (wayofwater gets a cookie for the excellent point about the location of the forest, I hope the rest of you are paying attention!) Indeed, as anyone who plays the game like a junkie should know, the forest is to the east. I may have said thus before, but I did give them a route to the south_west_. So you got me, fair and square. Just don't think you'll find the next foul up so easily!   
All right, on with the story...

  
  
Ch. 18

O world invisible, we view thee,

O world intangible, we touch thee,

O world unknowable, we know thee,

Inapprehensible, we clutch thee!

-Francis Thompson

They made camp that night among the sandy dunes, and used dried seaweed to make fires. The strong smell of the ocean was overpowering, and none of them had much of an appetite for anything. Several times, Link found himself struggling up one of the sandy hills to stop and stare at the endless sea before him. It was an awesome sight that would stay with him always. By midnight, they were miserable, though, for the crashing of the waves never eased, and it was hard to sleep with the noise. Link was exhausted from lack of sleep however, and he made his bed early, making sure no sand got into the blankets before he laid down. He was already sick of the gritty stuff.

Before his eyes drifted shut, though, he heard the sound of someone struggling through the sand towards him, and sat up. It was Saria, wearing an unreadable expression on her face. She took a seat on the sand beside him, and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"Link, we have to talk," She started. "We've already seen what happens when you hold something against another for too long. Just look at Ichiro and Tappor."

Link rested his arms on his knees. "I didn't know we weren't talking to each other," He said neutrally. Saria tipped her head to the side in that thoughtful way he was now familiar with, and he felt the slightly growing anger at her dissipate. "I'm sorry, I think we were both avoiding each other... It's just that," He sighed angrily. "Its seems that all this time one thing or another was leading me on, and I didn't have any control of what I was doing anymore."

Saria nodded. "I understand. Maybe you don't think I do, but I really do, Link. Its the same for a Sage. You lose control because of destiny, and you have to give up all of your physical ties... Link, remember what you said under that tree that one day, after you'd left the castle? You said that all the Sages had ever done was control our lives, and you told me it was time to take control... Do you remember that?"

Link smiled slightly. "That was one of my more passionate speeches. Yeah, I remember."

"Well," She said. "It _is _time we took control! Maybe we could shape our lives how we wanted to, maybe we _do _shape our lives when we want to. I remember... when you left, the first time. I was waiting on the bridge for you. Do you... remember?"

Link thought hard, letting his eyes fix on a point beyond her, but it wouldn't come to him, and he shook his head in frustration. She sighed deeply, but continued.

"How could either of us have known what the future held? Maybe we relied too much on what others wanted us to be, maybe we lost ourselves in all of it..."

"Are you saying you think we weren't meant to be who we became?" Link asked in confusion. Saria rested her chin on her knee thoughtfully, and he felt the strange feeling again.

"Maybe the Sages knew that at one time, Link. Maybe that's why they did all of the things they did... I've only begun to think of it now... What if it wasn't? We were both forced into situations that may have not been what we wanted." Link was suddenly startled to hear the careful tone in her voice.

"What do you mean?" He asked suspiciously. Saria shook her head.

"You always wanted to save the day, Link, I think that was apparent from the beginning, and I always had a deep bond with the forest... But did that mean you had to go out and become a messiah to Hyrule, or that I had to give up my life to become a Sage?"

Link leaned forward in surprise. "So you're saying that if I, or you, had chosen not to be such important people in Hyrule, we could have been different?"

"We could have been who we are now." Saria said thoughtfully. 

"Except that Ganandorf would have conquered Hyrule and enslaved or killed everyone." Link added. Saria nodded grudgingly.

"That would have complicated things." 

*************

Although Link had even more questions now than he had ever had before, sleep came easier now that the distance between Saria and he had been closed. Already he felt slightly better just from the talk, and surprisingly, the sea lulled him into a peaceful sleep. 

*************

The next morning, they started a slow and encumbered journey across _The Bloody Sea_, the part of the beach where there were several landmarks to attest to the final battle that had taken place there. Ichiro had been the only one this close to the sea before, and most of the others, even the guards, took time to slow or stop to admire the view. 

Because of this it was late in the afternoon before they finally dragged their wagons through the shifting sand and into the small established fishing village AbakaRaka, or just Abaka, named for a giant sea monster that had supposedly terrorized the shores many years ago. Here the carpenters and soldiers from Hyrule Castle were staying at the village's only boarding house by the shore. The Royal guards took the wagons and horses to a small stable to hold them, and Ichiro, Link, Saria, and Tappor went on to make their rendezvous. In the small boarding house, Ichiro sat down to speak with the head of the soldiers, a scarred and snuffling Hylian whose eyes were a watery whitish-blue. Link and Saria sat politely to the side, and Tappor had engaged the carpenters in a quiet conversation about ship-building. 

Afterwards, two of the lay-soldiers were sent with them to reach the ship.

"The supplies have already been loaded," Ichiro told Link. "We'll press off tonight. The soldier in charge suggested tomorrow morning," Ichiro snorted as if to convey to Link that he thought that a very foolish plan indeed. The walk down the beach took the better part of the day, and they amused themselves by pointing out different landforms and piers. 

Towards evening, they halted behind the soldiers who had stopped to point out a large landmark. Ahead of them, a rocky bluff rose up from the hilly sand dunes, and beyond it was a shadow of something large.

"Is that it?" Saria spoke up excitedly. One of the soldiers leading them nodded. 

"That's right. She's pretty big, and lovely too."

"She?" Link asked in confusion. 

The second soldier nodded. "Thats what people used to call them. Abaka is the last village that has sea-fairing ships to bring in fish and such. I suppose you'll be getting some crew members from the town, though watch out, they're bound to all be old men." 

At last they came around the side of the bluff, and halted in wonder. The closest any of them had seen to it at most was a boat or small float made to go over Hylia lake, which was just large enough for a small, one-seating vessel. This ship however, was made to go over a long stretch of sea, and was on sight incredible. Link tipped his head back in awe, and felt the first stirrings of excitement at the voyage they would take on the huge vessel. Saria shaded her eyes against the sun.

"Wow," She stated simply, and it was enough to convey all of their feelings. The ship, rebuilt from the wreck of an older one, was at least four hundred tons- a Galleon vessel. Jutting from the deck were three huge masts, one sporting a crows nest, and a lateen rig. The sails were furled, and the hull seemed to glow in the dying light.

Link spotted all of this, although he wasn't sure what each thing was used for exactly. In the month he'd stayed in the castle, he and Saria had poured over many books and scrolls pertaining to ships and sea-fairing. 

"The carpenters named 'er _New Dawn_, so I guess a lot is riding on 'er maiden voyage." The second soldier said shrewdly. Link turned to him in surprise, but nodded. Ichiro had recovered first, and he was already making his way down to the shore where the ship was in-port. Down the beach, they could see several more ships, though none were as new or grand as the _New Dawn_. 

"You did this in a month?" Saria asked in surprise, as they stepped into the galleon vessel's far-reaching shadow. The first soldier nodded.

"It's perhaps the greatest task ever accomplished in Hyrule, or at least, that's what they say. Those carpenters were at it day and night, hammerin' and sawin' and the like... It's amazin'." He finished. Link stepped into the shallows to splay his hands against the fresh wood of the hull. He rapped it with his knuckles, and peered up at it in pure wonder.

"Careful," Saria joked. "Link's a nut for new toys." Link turned and stuck out his tongue, and she couldn't help but laugh in surprise. There was something very familiar about Link making itself known, she realized. _Maybe it's the fresh air of adventure_? 

"A group from the village should arrive soon," One of the guards told Ichiro. "They'll be here for you to pick your crew and captain."

"Captain?" Ichiro asked. The soldier looked startled.

"Yes sir, I believe there's one or two that've sailed the seas before..." He trailed off in uncertainty, and Ichiro scowled. "Well... I suppose we'll be going." He and his companion saluted, and they trudged back up the beach. Link had already started to wade deeper into the water in enthusiastic curiosity, and Saria chased after him with a laugh. Tappor removed his spectacles and wiped the sea spray from them, turning to the stoic Ichiro.

"Children will be children, I suppose." He said matter-of-factly. "It makes one wish one could go back in time, does it not?" 

Ichiro grunted a reply, and turned to walk back up the beach to wait for the party from the village to arrive.

Tappor sighed. "Ah well. Someone must represent our elders on the high seas." He then removed his traveling shoes and outer robes, and waded into the water after the two young ones.

*************

Zelda paced the room again impatiently, trying to calm herself. This was much different than any other predicament she had encountered, and she couldn't help but feel the weight of failure on her shoulders. 

The young princess sighed, and sat down on the drab bed she was provided in the 'guest' room. It was better looking than most cells, but all the same: a prison of four walls. She tried not to think of her parents, of the blood that splattered across the thrones or sprayed in her face. Instead, she thought aimlessly of what would become of Hyrule now that the Royal family could not longer protect it. Would it fall under the two cruel children's' rule? Ganandorf had failed where they now tried, but now that there wasn't a Hero of Time, she wondered if they could succeed.

*************

They made a fire on the beach beneath the ship, and Ichiro went around to each of the new crew members, speaking to them and assessing their skills. The soldier had only been half right in his estimate, for though the sailors were older, they weren't past their prime. As for the captain, Ichiro had chosen one of the two possibilities: a stout, hearty, no-nonsense Hylian with a grizzled beard and squinty eyes. He was one of the last remaining true sea mariners, and his father's father had been the commander of a fine craft.

"Pirates," He told them all. "Be out n' about on the 'igh seas. Thar be'nt much of the 'ylian brand left ta fill a keel boat, but thar be others, worse. Best ta keep a sharp lookout whilst we're abroad, un'erstand?" They nodded blankly, and satisfied, he took a seat with his crew. Link, Tappor, and Saria had made a fire apart from the rest. They would be setting out in a few hours, before the sun came up, to escape the morning tide, and Link was anxious to begin. 

"Relax, Link," Saria chided. "It may be all fun and games right now, but I bet we're going to be miserable until we get our... Um, what did he call them?"

"I believe it was 'sea legs'. He has a very quaint speech, does he not?" Tappor commented. Link nodded and grinned. 

"I bet I can handle it better than both of you." He bragged. "I am a hero, after all."

"Oh hush," Saria said, tossing sand at him. "I'll take you up on that bet. Whoever can keep from hanging over the side the longest, wins."

Link took her hand and shook it, and Tappor, on a whim, also did.

"Perhaps it's all of this sea air, getting to me," He defended. "But I am feeling younger than I have in a quite a while!" Saria laughed.

"Hope it's enough to give you a chance against us young'uns!" Link grinned. Tappor smiled, and pretended to buff his fingernails confidently.

"Oh I do not know, I was quite the heckler in my season."

"Oh Tappor," Saria chided. "You aren't that old. But you're right, I think this trip is going to do us all some good." Link nodded, his face serious.

"Either that," He joked somberly, "Or it's going to kill us."

Before the sun was up, the maiden crew of the _New Dawn _finally gathered the last of their belongings and put out the fires. Link felt a thrill of excitement as he rolled up his sleeping bag and started up the wooden plank leading to the gunwalls, the sides of the ship, where the crew was climbing over onto the top deck. He stepped up onto the deck and walked around, getting a feel for the hollow, wooden floor. Saria was looking around now, and she walked up wooden stairs to the highest deck where the captains quarters and the helm was. Link watched curiously as one of the crew looped ropes around a metal hook.

"Is that the rigging?" He asked, eager to learn more about the ship. 

"Aye," The crew member grunted. The rope was thickly braided, and strong for use during rough weather. Link came over to help him, and soon they had the job of rigging the first mast sail done. Further down the deck, towards middeck, the second mast, the mizzenmast, was being rigged, and Link tipped his head back to see the yardarm swaying slightly. 

"Who stays up in the crows nest?" He asked. 

"Maybe some green, new crewmates," The crewmember joked, moving on to help prepare for setting sail. 

"Avast ye!" A voice thundered, and Link turned around in confusion to see their new captain, roaring up and down the deck at anyone unfortunate to be close enough. Saria came to stand by Link.

"He doesn't seem very nice, does he?" She sniffed, having only been yelled at a few moments ago. Link turned to grin at her, and they watched two sailors rolling large barrels of something down to a lower deck. Soon, two of the Royal guards came to fetch them to bring them to their new quarters below deck. The two picked up their belongings and followed behind them, dodging running crewmembers being harassed by the captain. Link looked back once as they took the stairs down, to the sight of the sea they would soon be on, and could not help but wonder what lay before them.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimers are in Ch. 1. Bit of a short chapter today. Sorry I haven't updated in a bit. Lots of things going on here and in the world right now. All right, well, here we go.

Ch. 19

Oh, breathe not his name! let it

Sleep in the shade,

Where cold and unhonored his relics are laid.

-Thomas Moore

By daybreak, streaks of golden dawn had painted the sky, the seas, shimmering in the morning light and stirring in the fresh, crisp breeze, the sails, billowing in the fair wind, and Link, Saria, and Tappor, hanging over the stern of the ship. 

Sailors laughed to themselves while going about chores, and threw tips and old wives tales at the three unfortunates.

"Run 'round the for'ard seven times ter settle yor stomacks!"

"Aye, an' scrub with coral ter get rid o' that dreadful green color!"

"My my, yor 'airs lookin' about blonde next ta that face o' yors, lass!"

Ichiro, though slightly ill from the tossing and sway of the sea, seemed to be holding back sickness by sheer cussedness, and he stood on the high deck with the Captain, discussing their route. Most of the Royal guard had been trained thoroughly to keep from getting seasickness, but for the most part remained below decks to keep from joining Link, Saria, and Tappor on the gunwalls.

Link finally eased back over the side, and collapsed to the deck.

"Ugh... Who was the last to go?" He muttered weakly.

Saria sank down beside him, her face truly showing a slight tint of green. "I think it should be a tie... We all ran pretty fast." Tappor joined them shortly.

"So much for the romanticism of the high seas," He added. "I don't believe I'll ever be a swashbuckler at this rate!"

*************

Mid-afternoon, the three felt slightly better, and went up to watch the helmsman at the wheel. He explained several ship equipment to them while he kept the rudders on course.

"See 'ere? This fine instr'ment be the compass, tho' sailors usually only have ta look ter the stars ta know their route. The rudders, wot I'm keepin' steady, are wot steer 'er about."

"How fast can we travel like this?" Saria asked, clutching at Link as a particularly rough wave rocked the boat. 

"Fifteen knots on a good, calm day, me lass. Capt'n says we'll be nearin' the coasts in sev'ral weeks."

"The coast?" Link asked excitedly. "Exactly what coast?"

The sailor shrugged. "Whichev'r coast we're bound fer, I ser'pose. Have ter ask the Capt'n 'bout that yorselves." Tappor leaned forward, and peered out at the calm seas.

"I must ask, do you believe there is any truth in the stories behind sea monsters? Or may we soothe that worry?"

The sailor blinked at his cultured voice, but shook his head. "Oh, thar be monsters bound all about 'ere, includin' the sea folk."

"Sea folk?" Saria asked. "Like Zorons?"

"Nay, the sea folk is part 'ylian woman, part fish. They sings a Siren's song ter the sea-goin' men at night, in 'opes of catchin' one ta eat."

"Eat?" Link and Tappor chorused. The sailor nodded very seriously.

"Aye, so I'd advise ya ta be careful if ya start to hear anything at night. In fact, stay below soon as the sun starts ta set!" At Link and Tappor's widened eyes, the sailor started to laugh, and Saria joined in. Link scowled.

"That's not funny." He said, and Tappor nodded.

"I agree. How low of you to scare poor land-lubbers such as we!"

"Well I wasn't scared," Saria said, finally releasing Link from her death grip as the sea calmed down again. Link rubbed his arm and mock glowered at her.

"Figures, what monster would want to eat you anyway?" He laughed, dodging her playful swipe.

*************

Before several days had gone by, Link had gotten his sea legs, and was able to move about the ship with ease.

"I don't know how you do it," Saria had said in annoyance upon seeing him. "You've always been a fast learner. It's disgusting!" As for Tappor and she, they still struggled against sea sickness, though neither, fortunately, was leaning over the gunwall again. 

Link now joined the crew in it's chores and duties, learning as much as he could in the short time he had, and enjoying himself immensely in the sea spray and sway of the ship. 

On one particularly foggy night, a week or so into their voyage, the captain, who was known only as Cap'n One-Eyed Deadleg, called a meeting in the mess area below deck. Though Saria and Tappor asked many of the crewmembers who had known him for some time, no one was actually sure why they called him this, since both eyes were intact, and his leg was absolutely fine. Nevertheless, he wouldn't settle for being called any thing else, and so One-Eyed Deadleg it was. 

The seas were especially calm that night, though dark. The moon had been blocked out of view by the fog that had blanketed the water like a shadow. The Captain and Ichiro were standing by several sealed barrels, each containing rations the sailors received their meals from, talking in low tones while the rest of the crew muttered amongst themselves. Saria, Link, and Tappor had taken a seat a at a small table towards the back of the room with several of the crewmen, and Tappor had enticed the two youths and grizzled sailors into a game of Gin and Rummy, which a crewmember had taught him. Finally, Ichiro stepped forward, and rang a small bell several times to catch the crew's attention.

"Be silent, all of you." He called. Several heads turned, and the talking dwindled.

The captain stepped forward. "AR'RIGHT! Next one o' ya lily-livered scumbags peeps another word, it'll be keel haul with ya!" He roared, slamming a fist down on the nearest table. Several people jumped, and Tappor dropped his cards, before the room fell to utter silence. Ichiro blinked, and then nodded stiffly, taking the floor again.

"This meeting was called to brief you in the manners and trade that you will be involved in when we reach our destination-"

"Where be we bound fer?" One old fellow called out. The captain's face turned red, and he slammed two fists down on the same unfortunate table.

"Didn't I tell yer ta be silent, ya lead-haulin' barnacle breathin' snake gutted-"

"I was just won'erin! A chaps got ta won'er, 'asn't he?" The crew member cried. A blood vein swelled at the captain's beet red temple.

"SHUT 'YER TRAP!" 

The room fell silent again, and Ichiro turned very slowly to look at the captain.

"G'wan now with wot ya were sayin' there, Chief." The fierce captain said gruffly.

Ichiro nodded again, a little paler this time, but continued.

"The land that we're heading towards was once the most prominent trading point of Hyrule. However, in the last thousand years that trade ceased to exist, and all ties with the outside world was cut off. This land is called Mijjori, and it is where we believe the Princess is being held."

Link leaned forward in curiosity. It was the first time he'd heard the Chief of Guard say so much at once. Around him, the crew was also becoming interested, as many of them hadn't sailed past the bay, and none had gone out into free waters. It was new for all of them, and there was an equal mixture of excitement and trepidation all around. Link looked to his side to see Saria leaning forward, her chin on her knuckles, peering intently at the Chief as he spoke.

"What are you thinking?" He said, leaning forward to whisper on a whim. Saria started in surprise, and turned to him.

"I've never seen him talk so much. He really takes his job seriously," She whispered back, leaning in close to his ear so he could hear her. "I know it's terrible, but I was wondering if we'll ever see Hyrule again." She leaned back to look at him worriedly, and he sought to soothe her.

"Sure we will," He responded in the same hushed tone. "I told Tappor already, no one gets left behind." _I promise we'll be together again_. The thought came to him in a flash, and he felt a cold tremor go through his body. He turned away from her gaze, leaning forward, and the cabin room suddenly felt frigid, as if an icy chill had suddenly blown through. Resting his face in his hands, he willed it to go away. _Not now_, his mind pleaded. _I thought it was over! _Of all of the strange happenings, he hated the visions the most, yet he could not stop it, and in a rush, he was on his feet, racing towards the cabin door. 

The crew sitting around the mess hall jumped up from their seats in surprise as the young man suddenly sprang up and began running towards the door. He reached it before anyone could react, and slipped out, slamming the door on its newly oiled hinges behind him.

*************

Outside of the room, Link paused again, listening for the scream. It came again, from up above on the top deck. He took the stairs at a run, and propelled through the doors to come to a staggering halt at the seen on the deck of the ship.

Before him, casting a long, sinister shadow, a beast such as he'd never seen before, swayed back and forth. Link side stepped, trying to get out of its immediate gaze. The creature at one time could have been a horse, but now was as corrupted as any ghost, its blackened skin only rotted flesh hanging on by sinew, and its eyes yellow and sunken. It reared at the sight of him, and let out another blood-curdling scream, showing jagged, decayed teeth, and a gray, swollen forked tongue. Link looked on in a sickened fascination as it reared about, riderless. Though it was horrible and corrupt in nature, his immediate reaction was to calm and soothe it, and he stepped forward intending to try. However, the deck door burst open, and Saria and several soldiers came up the staircase in a run, followed by the rest of the ship's inhabitants.

"Link!" Saria gasped, running towards him. "Fight it, Link! It isn't real! It's only a memory!"  
"A memory?" He muttered listlessly, turning again to peer at the nightmarish stallion. How could it be a memory? No, it was there, and he needed to calm it, before it did more damage to itself or the ship. He held out his hands to show the horse he meant it no harm, and began to advance towards it slowly. The creature reared about, ignoring his approach. When he was close enough to touch it, Link held out a hand. "C'mon, boy, I'm not going to hurt you-" Before he could make contact, he felt himself grabbed, and pulled back sharply. He whirled around in annoyance to see Saria hanging gamely onto his arm.

"It's not real, Link! Don't believe it! They're only memories! Fight them! Fight back!" 

He pulled his arm roughly away. "Stop it! It _is _real! You can see it, can't you?" He shouted, turning back towards the beast.

"No, I can't! It's not there, Link , none of us can see it..." He stiffened, and slowly, still careful of the rearing stallion, turned to the crew. They were gathered 'round, watching him with mixed expressions. Some of contempt, some of weariness, and some of sly grins, laughing among themselves. His eyes narrowed, and he balled his fists. The ones who had been joking at his expense immediately silenced.

"Young lass' right," One spoke up. "Tisn't a thing there, bucko." Several more nodded, and Link looked at them helplessly, turning to see the stallion, and then them, until, on one brief glance back to see the beast, it was no longer there. He stumbled back, and gave a cry of surprise. Saria grasped his arm again.

"Come with me, Link." She said in a low voice, trying to lead him away from the watchful eyes. Link hesitated.

"But-" He started, suddenly unsure of himself. "What...?"

She grasped him tightly. "Trust, Link. That's all I can offer for you to hold on too, but come on, lets get out of here..." He paused to meet the gaze of her dark eyes, which had grown darker with emotion. Link nodded dumbly, and allowed her to take him to her quarters.

*************

The men backed away, some nervous, some worried, as she led him down below deck. The captain turned to Ichiro.

"Strange lad yer got there, Chief. Wot'd ya bring'em fer?" 

Ichiro grimaced. "It was our dying King's last wish. Are you saying he made a bad decision?"

"Nay," The captain replied. "But ah'm figurin' thats wot _yer_ thinkin'." He said perceptively. "Mayhaps our good King didna' know wot 'e was doin', choosin' such a young un'... Does 'e do that of'en? Them fits?" Sailors are by nature notoriously superstitious, and many of the crew were already thinking of remedies they had heard of before to fend off sea demons and evil spirits. 

"This is the first one I've seen," Ichiro growled. "And I mean to find out what's going on." The captain nodded.

"Do that," He agreed. "The crew won't work long when thar be demons aboard. If 'e don't improve, we may haff ta walk ''em off." Ichiro nodded stiffly.

"I'll see that its taken care of. Good day, Captain." He excused himself, and left briskly. 

Captain One-Eyed Deadleg squinted a fierce eye, and tugged at his scraggly beard thoughtfully. 

"Hmm, somethin' in me bones tells me thar be trouble bound 'ere soon. I pray ta the Goddesses that I may'aps be wrong."

*************

Link shivered, the cold feeling still remaining. Saria draped a coarse, warm blanket around him, and he clutched at it desperately.

"I... I don't think I want to-"

"Hush," She soothed, rubbing his back. "Link, don't think about it, just relax. It's gonna be okay, I promise." He suddenly turned to her, and met her eyes. She found herself looking into deep, troubled cerulean orbs, flecked with gray, and could not blink.

"You promise?" Link asked disbelievingly, and blinked, breaking the moment. He sighed, and shook himself as if to dispel the awful feeling. "I thought these visions were over... what _was _that thing?" He asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "It was like a horse... but almost like a monster, too."

"The shadow of Ganandorf's horse, inverted to show it's true self, just as Ganandorf was. And there was no rider?" She asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"No," Link said, shaking his head. "Maybe that part of the memory is blocked out... Can I have partial memories?" He asked in confusion.

"Again," Saria sighed, "That's a question for the Sages. I guess you sort of would, or else you'd be seeing whole flashes of memory scenes... I think you just keep catching snatches of them."

"At the most unexpected of times," He said, shaking his head wryly. "Well if Ichiro didn't trust me before, this couldn't have been much help. They must all think I'm pretty crazy now, huh?" He asked, grinning ruefully. Saria smiled gently.

"As crazy as a loose cuckoo. But don't worry about it, okay? We're going to get this straightened up, I promise."

"You're making a lot of promises all of a sudden," He responded, some of his good humor returning. "And mothering me, too. How did I ever get so fortunate as to find you?" He joked, though there was a slight underlying of seriousness in his tone that neither could ignore, try as they might.


	20. Chapter 20

Hello again, everyone. I've made it to chapter 20, hurrah! *sigh* And we haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet. However, I think that from here on out, we should have more substance. I think we could even consider 20 a midpoint!... maybe. What do you think? How are things going in the story? Love to hear from everyone!

Ch. 20

The ocean, roaring up the beach,

The gusty blast, the bickering flames,

All mingled vaguely in our speech;

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Later, there was a knock on the cabin door, and Ichiro came in to stand above both of them.

"There is something you're keeping from me," He said in a cold voice, "And I would appreciate knowing anything that could foolishly endanger the lives of my crew and soldiers."

"First of all," Saria started angrily. "Link is part of your crew, too, and you should be watching out for him. And second, he isn't going to endanger anyone." Ichiro crossed his arms over his broad, chain-mailed chest. 

"Then I want an explanation. Not just because of our safety," He growled, upon seeing Saria's look. "But of his own. If whatever that was happens again, then there's going to be a meeting called, and they'll decide what to do with you."

"Decide what to do with him?" Saria cried. "They can't just do that!"  
"Oh, I assure you they can, young lady. I told you this isn't some child's game! We're at sea, and for all the captain's show, the crew enforces it's own law. They can do whatever they want with you." This he said to Link, who had remained silent up until then. He finally looked up.

"Then I guess you can go back and tell him there won't be any more problems," He told him icily, standing up now. He stepped forward, until he was looking directly up into the Chief of Guard's eyes. "Just don't think you can come around here and threaten us like that. You're in the same place as us now. We're all here for the same reason." Link said the last sentence in a low, dangerous tone. 

Ichiro's eyes narrowed, and seemed to darken to a steely gray, hard and cold. He lowered the arms he'd crossed over his chest, and stepped forward, until they were nose to nose.

"Watch yourself," He said in a deadly calm voice. "You're treading a thin line, punk. I don't put up with upstart bastards who like to think they know it all. Just remember that its _your_ life riding on the line here." He turned stiffly, and left the room, leaving the door wide open, swaying on its hinges from the rhythm of the boat. 

Saria sighed, and turned to give Link a long suffering look.

"What?" He asked, irritated. She rolled her eyes.

"Men and their war games."

"War games? Hey, I didn't start this-"

"But you'll go right along with it, won't you? Oh, Link, can't you see this is only going to hurt all of us? You two clash more than he and Tappor does. Sooner or later there's going to be a climax to this scene, and I just hope it isn't when we're trying to defend our lives at the same time."

Link blinked. "What are you getting mad at me for? I was only defending myself! If you want to go lecture somebody, lecture him! He's the one who started it!"

"Just like Mido always started it?" She guessed.

"Exactly! See, I don't want to get into fights, I just-"

"Antagonize people so they find some excuse to fight you. Uh huh, I know your game, oh innocent one." She grinned. Link opened his mouth to reply angrily, and then looked surprised.

"You wench!" He laughed. "Look who's trying to start a fight now?" He made two fists, and brought one forward in a slow, light punch, thumping her on the shoulder. She looked at him in outrage, and then pounced, tackling him to the floor where she sat on him.

"Oof!" He said. "You weigh a ton! Poor furniture!" 

"Shut up!" She giggled, hitting him. He mock scowled at her, trying to reach up to throw her off. However, Saria knew Link's weaknesses from their childhood play, and immediately set in for the kill, digging her fingers into his sides.

"Yow!" He yelped, squirming to get away. 

It was an incredibly playful moment, wrought from so much tension and worry, and both gave no quarter until Link was sprawled on the floor, weak from laughter, and Saria had a most satisfied grin on her face.

"Looks like the Hero of Time is beaten. And who would have guest by a fairy girl, too? I believe you're going soft, my friend." She clucked, crossing her arms. Link had lost his hood somewhere betwixt trying to dodge her hands, and now twisted this way and that to find it. "What are you doing?" She asked in bewilderment.

"Looking for my hood," Link said matter-of-factly. 

Suddenly, the moment was over, and they both turned to meet eyes, staring blankly at each other. Link felt incredibly awkward, and watched in embarrassment as Saria started to blush. 

"Um," She said, climbing off of him. "I think its... over there." She walked over to where the abandoned hood lay crumpled, and picked it up, brushing off imaginary dust and handing it over with an apologetic look. "Sorry. I think I killed it."

"Nah," Link said, shoving it down over his head. "It'll be fine in awhile." They stood about in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, before Link shrugged.

"Well, ah, I guess I better go get some sleep. Tommorow'll be a pretty hard day if what they said about the weather is true... Good night." He said lamely, and turned to leave. 

"Good night to you, too." She called to his retreating back, watching as he made a quick exit out of the open door. After a few seconds, she sighed, and went forward to close it behind him.

*************

Link took the stairs up onto the top deck, and walked across deck. The heavy fog had cleared somewhat, and a fresh north wind blew, chilling him to the bone. He didn't really feel it, though, and walked along, deep in thought.

He'd never felt so uncomfortable around someone before, and it was puzzling. It wasn't a bad uncomfortable, he and Saria were friends now. It wasn't because he hadn't been around girls a lot, since he'd practically grown up with Malon, and had never felt so awkward around her. His mind buzzed with confusion, and he sighed, leaning over the gunwall to peer out into the dark night. The fresh sea air was pungent, and he breathed it in deeply, eyes faraway. It was chilly out now, since the current they were taking headed in a northeastern direction. Soon he would go inside and look among the clothes that had been tailored in the castle to find the underclothing made for this weather. 

Link eased up off of the gunwall, and turned to look up in curiosity at the man in the crow's nest. The crewmember was wrapped in a long cloak above his tunic, and was shivering, jumping up and down lightly every once in awhile to warm himself. Link made a decision, and went below deck again to his own quarters. Inside, he went to a bag tucked neatly under the bunk bed, and pulled out several folded articles of clothing. From among them, he pulled out leggings and an undershirt. They were made of thick wool, and had been dyed a white cream color. He shivered, thinking how much warmer he would be in them, and changed quickly, putting them on under his tunic. A set of warm leather gloves were also in the bag, and he pulled them on. Immediately he felt his body warming up, and, grateful for the heat, went back up to the top deck. 

Link walked up under the crows nest.

"Hey!" He called up, cupping his hands around his mouth the magnify the word. The sailor peered over the edge in confusion. "Want a break?"

"Would I?" The crewmember cried. "That'd be swell o' yer!" Link nodded, and the he scrambled down the rope ladder, dropping from the last few rungs in enthusiasm. "Thanks mate!" He said, clapping Link on the shoulder, and then scurried away down the stairs to the warmer mess hall. Link watched him go, and then turned to climb up the stairs. It was harder than it looked, and he felt the rope sway back and forth at his inexperienced climbing. Finally, he pulled himself up into the small balcony, and was immediately hit by an icy blast of wind that made him stagger. He blinked, his eyes stinging from the cold, and leaned forward to peer out from the watch. 

The ocean stretched out before him in a black, inky darkness, smooth at the horizon. It was an uninteresting view, and he only stopped to look at it in intervals. However, like many mariners before him, Link found the stars. They stretched out infinitely above him, turning the dark sky into a forest of lights. There were thousands, millions, dotting the sky in bright whites and yellows, and occasionally, twinkling blues or reds. Link breathed deeply of the chilled air, and tipped his head back in amazement, drinking in the beauty of the clear, open night. 

*************

Somewhere towards morning, when most of the feeling was gone from his numbed body, and he was leaning over the edge of the nest, his tired eyes spotted what seemed like a dark speck on the gray horizon. He blinked, and it was gone. 

Straightening up, Link strained his eyes, fixing them on the same spot. After a few minutes, he relaxed slightly, and leaned back. It could be that his eyes were playing tricks on him. _It certainly wouldn't be the first time_, he thought blearily. _I wonder if I really am dangerous... Seeing things that no one else does... I could get us into trouble like that, and it's only luck that I haven't yet. _He sighed, his breath freezing as it hit the air, and rubbed a cold gloved hand against his stinging eyes. On a whim, he leaned forward and peered out again, and saw what he thought to be the same small speck, darker than the sea or sky, on the horizon. This time he didn't blink, and though it seemed to stay a moment longer, it soon winked out. His heart raced, and he straightened up again, looking around for a crewmember. The deck was clear, though, as it had been the whole night, as the sailors had preferred the warmth below deck to the frigid winds above. He searched quickly through his memory, and came up with a phrase he'd only once read in a scroll about pirates.

"Off the starboard!" He called, cupping his mouth to be heard. He peered forward, trying to think of what to say. "Ship off starboard!" He shouted louder. This time, there was a short silence, before the Captain's door, along with the deck door, burst open, the crew came pouring out in confusion. 

"Avast! Wot is it?" One called up to Link, trying to see out into the gray morning. 

"Ship, I think!" Link called. The Captain came thumping down the stairs and up to the crow's nest. 

"What're ya doin' up there, lad?" He roared, squinting an eye up at Link. The watch from the night before stepped up sheepishly.

"E' wanted ta take the watch fer a bit, Cap'n."

"'Cap'n is it?" The Captain turned, face red.

"Cap'n One Eyed Deadleg, sir!" The unfortunate sailor shouted. The captain nodded gruffly, and turned to look back up at Link.

"Get yer'self down 'ere, on the double, boy!" He shouted. Link turned, and fumbled with the swaying stairs, his hands and feet numb from the cold. He finally managed to tangle his limbs up in the rope to keep from falling, and started down slowly. The Captain, now joined by Ichiro, waited impatiently for his descent. Link finally dropped at the last few rungs, and stumbled away as the nightwatch climbed nimbly back up the ladder in the blink of an eye, and turned to search in the direction that Link had spotted the dark shape. There was a long, breathless moment at he looked, and several of the sailors watched Link with a doubtful look.

"Nothin' I can spot, Cap'n, er, Cap'n One Eyed Deadleg!" He called, down. The Captain shook his head in annoyance, and the crew began to mumble among themselves, looking at Link suspiciously. Ichiro stepped forward, and grabbed Link roughly by the arm.

"You'll have to excuse this young idiot, he's just looking for attention," Ichiro said to the Captain. Link was about to jerk his arm away from him, but suddenly realized what Ichiro was doing. He was trying to _protect _him! The Captain squinted at Ichiro, catching on.

"The lad's got me 'ole crew up fer a bit of a joke, eh?" He growled, fixing Link with his most fiercesome look yet. Link made no response. Ichiro shook him roughly, and tightened the grip. 

"Yes sir. I apologize. If you have a particular punishment in mind for upstarts like him, that would be acceptable." He narrowed his eyes fiercely at Link as if reprimanding, and Link scowled back.

"Well," The Captain growled, tugging on his beard. "'Pears to me that the only solvin' for a blaggard like 'imself is bilge duty fer the r'mainder o' this sail." He turned to look at his crew, as if asking for their agreement. Some nodded slowly, but others only fixed Link with fearful, or angry eyes. Just then, the watch shouted down.

"Wait... I think there tis somethin' out thar, Cap'n One Eye Deadleg! Off o' the star'bd bow!"

The Captain along with the crew looked up in surprise, and Ichiro blinked, loosening his grip slightly on Link's arm. "Could you confirm that once more, sailor?" He called up. The watch nodded, and turned to look out again, and Link took in a deep breath.

"Aye!" He finally shouted down. "Off o' star'bd! Ship ho!" 

The crew suddenly raised a cheer, and Link looked around in bewilderment. An older fellow clapped him on the shoulder though, and explained.

"We like ya, lad. Ya got the makin's of a seaman. 'Twould be an awful shame ta find that ya was sick wi' demons." Link nodded dumbly, and Ichiro shook his head in wonder, turning back to the Captain.

"I thought I was told there were no Hylian ships past the meridian out here." He said. The Captain shook his head.

"Not 'Ylian, Chief. Thar be pirates 'round these parts. I'd s'pose we've jus' found ourselves some, too." He turned then, and called up to the watch. "'Ow far, sailor?" 

"Twenty, thirty leagues, Cap'n One Eyed Deadleg! Can' see a jack yet, but thar'd be none else but tha' dastardly RedEye an' 'is scurvy crew!" Upon hearing this, the sailors began to mutter to themselves, looking around nervously.

"Is this ship equipped for fighting?" Ichiro called over the voices. The Captain squinted at him.

"Is she 'quipped fer fighten', ya say? 'Course she is! Wot do yer take us fer, Chief? Never yor min'! Avast ye, lubbers! Get yor positions fer battle, and don' let me catch yer dawdlin'! Kor!" He bellowed up to the watchman. "Where be she?"

"Twenty off, now, I'd say, Capn'!"

The Captain let the shortcoming of his title go for the moment, and turned to start roaring out orders to the crew scrabbling about. Link stood dumbfounded, and soon Saria and Tappor joined him, both looking sleepy-eyed. 

"My first trip out to sea, and I'll _see_ it all!" Tappor said, hugging his sides from the cold. "My word, but the Captain has a temper like no other. I believe he makes our good Chief Ichiro seem very mild."

Saria nodded, and looked at Link anxiously. "Is there going to be a battle?" She asked. Link nodded stiffly, his body fully numb from the chill. 

"Yeah," He finally said, trying to keep from shivering. "Those are pirates out there... They take supplies, gold, and any other stuff they want from other ships. I guess this guy RedEye has been close to our coasts. I'm surprised there was never anything said about it."

"It was kept quiet," Ichiro said, coming up to stand by them. He looked at Link curiously. "I thought you were seeing things again... I guess I was wrong." At this, he retreated back down below deck to dress and retrieve his sword.

Tappor looked to Link in amazement.

"I believe you just received your first Ichiro complement," He smiled. "That is very rare, especially for one of your, ah, _stature_." Link shook his head in surprise, and turned as the watch, Kor, shouted again.

"Nineteen leagues off, Cap'n! An' now comin' fast!" The Captain nodded.

"Aye, that be RedEye, the cu'throat. You lot, ge' them cannons out!" He shouted towards a group of sailors. "An' you, you get tha' last sail up. If it be a fight 'e wants, then let's not be lackin' fer it!" The sailors rushed around to comply, and Saria, Link, and Tappor stood about in anxiety and a touch of excitement. The Captain spotted them.

"Wot're you landlubbers doin'? Get yor'selves 'low deck, now!" He roared, shaking a fist at them. Saria's eyes widened.

"Who do you think we have to fear most?" She asked, dragging a reluctant Link and an excited Tappor towards the stair door. "The pirates or our own dear Captain?"

Link finally turned to follow, though still looking back over his shoulder. As they opened the door, they met Ichiro, now dressed and armed. Link stepped forward.

"I'm staying up here," He announced, stopping in front of him. Ichiro growled, and forcefully shoved him out of the way. 

"Get below, you idiot! All you'll do is endanger lives." This said, he raced onto the deck to join the Captain at the bowsprit. Link turned to follow, but Saria grasped his arm.

"He's right, Link. If they need us, we'll come back up, but we should leave this up to the experts. They know what they're doing." Link looked on helplessly as the sailors unrolled a bundle of weapons, each coming by to grab a cutlass or long-knife. He finally turned to Saria.

"I'm not going to run away," He said angrily, jerking his arm away. "You two should go below, but I'm stay-" His sentence was cut short as he felt a searing blow to the back of the head, and stumbled forward. Saria grabbed him around the middle, try to support him, and as his thoughts slowed and dimmed, he faintly remembered the way she always smelled after she'd been out playing under the old fruit trees, and would come by to deliver a basket of the fresh berries to him. Link thought he heard someone calling his name, from a long distance, and then he felt another, faint blow to the back of his head, and slumped forward into oblivion.

*************

"Link!" Saria cried, grasping him as he fell. She turned to look up angrily at Ichiro. "Why did you do that! Why did you hit him?"

"I had no other choice," Ichiro said coldly. "It was for his own good. All he would achieve up here is getting himself foolishly killed."

"He's not just some child, you bastard!" Saria shouted, feeling tears stinging in her eyes. "He's-"

Ichiro sighed, and turned away. "Take him below deck and apply a cool bandage to his head. He'll be fine in a few hours." He walked away, and left Saria fuming behind him. Tappor recovered, and helped to support Link.

"He is, in a way, right." He said, quickly receiving a glare from Saria. "Let's take him below to his quarters, and then we will talk." They lifted him as best as possible, and slowly dragged him down the stairway and into the second-deck hall where guest quarters were located. They found Link's room, and Saria opened the door with one hand, supporting Link's head on her shoulder with the other. They entered, and carefully lay Link on the bunk bed, Tappor immediately exiting to go to the mess hall where a bandage and perhaps a salve could be found. Saria pulled Link's hood off, and gently probed the back of his head to check for blood or any further wound. Thankfully, Link had always been hardheaded, and there was only a slight scrape. She sighed, and carefully lowered his head onto a pillow, and crouched beside him. On impulse, she ran a hand through his hair and touched the side of his face.

"I'm sorry, Link," She said. "But in a way I'm relieved, too... I couldn't stand you fighting up their and my staying down here. I think you were right in what you said before, I go where you go now." Tappor returned, and she straightened up, stepping back to watch him gingerly apply the salve, and then wrap the bandage around Link's head. Link still shivered slightly in unconsciousness, and Saria tugged off his boots while Tappor fetched a woolen blanket discarded on the floor. He wrapped it around the young warrior's shivering frame, and stepped back, shaking his head.

"I do believe that your friend, _and_ mine, is strong by nature, but our good Chief was right. I fear that if he were to go above deck and join in the sea battle, it could only end badly."

Saria shook her head sadly. "You don't understand... Nobody does. Link is strong, stronger than any of us, maybe. He's a powerful warrior, and I would trust my life with him."

Tappor looked at her thoughtfully for a few moments, and nodded. "I shall have to take your word for it, as you know him better than I. Let us presume then that Ichiro was thinking of us, and gave us a sick patient to watch over and keep ourselves busy from worrying. He is such a dear, you know."

Saria couldn't help but smile, and nod. "Okay then, but I have to warn you, Link is the worst patient ever, well, when he wakes up."

"Ah, a challenge," Tappor said pleasantly, and took a seat by the bunk. Saria sighed, and sat on the edge of the bed by Link, reaching out a hand to touch his cool brow.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimers? Chapter 1.   
  
All right, so maybe that wasn't the midpoint. Maybe it was. Lets see how things go. I hope everyone likes pirates! 

Ch. 21

Not to the swift, the race:

Not to the strong, the fight:

Not to the righteous perfect grace:

Not the wise, the light.

-Henry Van Dyke

"Thirteen leagues, Cap'n! An' gainin'!" The watch called down. The crew scrabbled about, making preparations and loading cannons. There hadn't been a sea battle in Hyrule for a long time, since most of the pirate raids happened very close to shore. Ichiro stood ready at the bow with the Royal guard, armed for battle. "Cap'n, I see the jack! Tis RedEye's!" 

The Captain swore lustily and strapped his own cutlass on, joining Ichiro at the bowsprit.

"We're in fer a fight, Chief." He said, squinting fiercely out at the growing form of a ship. Soon, they could make out the outline, and a red flag billowing at the mizzenmast. It was only another few minutes or so that they felt the first attack, a cannonball, several hundred feet from the ship. The water shot up like a geyser, and hissed. "Come about!" The Captain roared to the crewmember at the wheel. The sailor spun the wheel, and they felt the ship start to turn against the wind to come around. In a few moments, they had turned at an angle, and the _New Dawn _began to make a half-circle towards the approaching ship. 

*************

RedEye was the indisputable King of Pirates. Rumor said that he was the son of a Gerudo, for his hair was a fiery red and he was hailed and feared as the most cunning of all sea-thieves. He stood at the high deck of the _BloodWave_, and watched calmly as they neared the opposing ship. He was not a large Hylian, nor loud, but his eyes were narrowed cruelly, and he had many notches on his scimitar hilt: smaller ones for women and children. 

He turned towards his crew, surveying them with his one good eye, which was a dark rose-color, hence his name. 

"Unfurl that last sail," He said in his quiet way. His voice was soft and cultured, without the rough accent that usually accompanies the look of a corsair. The pirates went about there job briskly and without pause: there was respect mixed in with fear when it came to their captain.

He crossed down onto a lower deck, and walked towards the bow, his eyes narrowing slightly. "That's that old fool Deadleg, all right. Though it's a new ship. I wonder what they're doing all the way out here..." A burly, tattooed pirate raced up to him and saluted.

"Capt'n," He said. "That las' shot was abou' a hundred fee' off. Shall we fire ag'in?" RedEye shook his head.

"I've given him a warning shot. If he doesn't slow, then be ready." The pirate saluted, and raced back to his post. RedEye fiddled with the scarred hilt of his scimitar, and squinted his good eye thoughtfully.

"Well, well, old One Eye, you've brought me a fine gift from Hyrule... I'm flattered." He laughed softly, and turned back towards the main deck to overlook his crew's preparation.

*************

"Swing er' 'bout!" The Captain shouted to the man at the wheel. They had closed in close enough to be able to make out the pirates running about on the _BloodWave's _deck. Ichiro put a hand on the blade at his side, and turned to look at the leader of the Guard. 

"Listen up," He said quietly. "This is going to be a sea battle, and none of you are well prepared for this. I advise you to do as the Captain and crew ask you to do, and stay out of their way as much as possible."

The Guard nodded, each man grasping his heavy spear tightly, eyes unwavering as they focused on their leader. 

*************

The two ships came towards each other, passing by at full speeds. Both Captains ordered their crew to fire at will, and the afternoon sky was filled with the sharp scent of powder and burning wood. Although most shots were off, several hit either ship, and they circled 'round to come back, this time coming in close enough for a boarding. RedEye's crew, more adapt to sea battles, threw several hooked ropes across gunwalls to bring the ships together, and Deadleg's men quickly severed the ties. 

Ichiro and his guards held back, prepared if there was to be an onboard battle. At last it came, as RedEye ruthlessly brought his ship in close enough to hit the _New Dawn_, splintering the hull. The deck beneath them shivered, and several of the crewmen stumbled under the hit. More hooked ropes were thrown over and secured, and the pirates began to swarm aboard their ship. 

"Now's the time, me buckos!" Captain One Eyed Deadleg roared. "Giv' 'em fire an' 'ell!" The two groups clashed violently, knives and cutlasses shining deadly in the bright overhead sun. While the first wave of pirates swamped in on the smaller crew of the _New Dawn_, the remainder of RedEye's crew kept the cannon's warmed, firing off at several intervals, careful not to stow the maiden ship in. RedEye had already decided that he would like to keep the new ship, and didn't want to do too much damage to it. Ichiro and his Guard's came in behind the sailors, using superb soldiering techniques against the corsairs, and the two forces raged, none giving way. 

*************

Saria grasped at the bed as the entire ship seemed to shake. She heard the dull roar of a cannon from far away, and turned to Tappor. 

"Has it started?" She whispered, standing up. Tappor rose stiffly, and donned his glasses. 

"I believe so." He muttered, looking around anxiously. 

"I didn't know they were going to have...cannons," Saria said, heading towards the door to look down the hallway. Below deck was empty, the steady noise of battle coming in faintly from above. She gripped the 'sill of the door as another explosion, seemingly from above, vibrated the hull. "Do you think they could sink us?" She asked, gripping the 'sill tighter. Tappor came to stand beside her. 

"That could be a possibility, my dear, especially if we are on the losing side. What are you thinking of?" He asked, seeing her worried look.

"Of going up there and helping... I don't know if we'd make a big difference or not, Tappor, but I don't think I could just sit here and do nothing... Link will be all right for awhile, I think..." Tappor nodded and clapped his hands together.

"Well, I think we should pursue this plan, then! No sense and staying here and worrying. As they say, 'Go down with the ship'! Or... at least I believe that's what they say..."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, Tap. C'mon." She made a quick stop in her own quarters to grab her bow, then joined Tappor in the hallway. The plump little scholar had decided to take an old, dusty mop handle as a weapon, and brandished it fiercely. They quickly went up the stairs and onto the upper deck, where the fight was still raging.

RedEye laughed lustily, swinging across several ropes down to the lower deck. He checked the progress of the fight, itching to get into it, and spotted the Captain of the ship, Deadleg, swinging a large cudgel sword around at several retreating pirates. RedEye narrowed his eyes, and took a running jump across the gap between the ships, landing in the midst of a skirmish. He brought his scimitar out and whipped it across a surprised sailor's chest, flaying him to the bone instantly. The sailor could only choke out a strangled cry before he fell, and Deadleg turned to glare at him.

RedEye chuckled, wiping his blade on the dead sailor's bloodstained tunic, and stepped over him.

"Well, well, my friend. So we meet again." He said in his low, seductive voice.

Deadleg gritted his teeth. "I ain't no frien' o' yors, ya lily livered cu'throat bilgerat blaggard!" He roared. He brandished his sword threateningly, and lunged forward to attack the pirate Captain. RedEye brought his own sword up and blocked the blow in a swipe, dancing back nimbly to lead the Captain in a joust. They traded blows for several minutes, the chaos of the bloody sea battle raging around them. Deadleg had the advantage of strength over his opponent, but RedEye countered with speed, and it wasn't before long that he lunged in to slash Deadleg across his sword-arm, causing him to drop his blade. RedEye laughed harshly, whipping the tip around to point at the Captain's bearded throat. 

"Not friends?" He asked. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to-" 

"You! Halt!" Ichiro shouted, running through the fray of pirates and sailors. He was followed by several soldiers, and advanced towards RedEye. 

RedEye was about to go ahead and slash the Captain's throat and run, when all of a sudden he spotted another way out, and darted out into the fray to grab a young woman he'd spotted. She was wild looking, and roguishly beautiful, and he latched onto her, bringing his curved scimitar around and across her throat.

"Maiden on a maiden ship?" He asked in delight. He was glad for the scapegoat, for though his pirates were excellent fighters, they were outmatched by the desperate sailors plus the handful of trained soldiers. Saria struggled gamely against his hold, but he only held tighter, and touched the cool, blood stained blade against her pale throat. "Be still, lovely one. I wouldn't make a move if I were you." The Captain held out a hand to halt his men.

"'earken," He muttered. "Le' 'er go, scoundrel. She be only a lass."

RedEye walked backwards slowly, dragging Saria with him. He jerked his head to the side, communicating that his crew should retreat, and they did so, until only he was left. The pirates began to sever the ropes from the gunwalls, and RedEye turned abruptly, shoving Saria across the waiting hands. She made one more struggle to get away, biting a hand that was holding her, and cried out Link's name. Instantly, another fist came out to knock her back, and she fell under the crews' weight. 

The crew of the _New Dawn _raced to the gunwalls in outrage.

"Return the girl!" Ichiro shouted angrily. Tappor nodded, shaking a fist that had been knicked from a swordblade. The Captain leaned over the side.

"This 'ain't over, ya 'elldog! We'll meet a'gin!" He snarled viciously. The crew shouted insults and threats at the grinning pirates, but could do nothing in fear of bringing harm to Saria. RedEye turned, chuckling to himself.

"Well, Deadleg. I always said we were friends, and as friends, I'll give you a final present. Ahoy, men! Fire one last round of shots for our buckoes!"

The pirates ascented, firing off each cannon in a row, riddling the deck and the mizzen mast with several tears. The last hit the hull with a dull thwack, and RedEye laughed fiercely. "I think that one did some damage! Truly we will meet again, perhaps in the next port? I'll be waiting for you, or shall I say, _we _will! I think I'll enjoy this young maiden's company awhile more. Full sail!" He called, and the crew of the _New Dawn _could only watch helplessly as they sailed away, gaining speed, until they were only a smudge on the horizon. 

For a few moments afterwards, they could only stand about in shock, before the crewmembers began to move again, frantically checking damage. Already the hull of the ship was tipping slightly to the side, and the mizzenmast creaked precariously above them. Several soldiers and sailors were trying to loop ropes around it to keep it from crashing down. 

Deadleg turned to Ichiro with a worried look, the first expression aside from anger or outrage he'd seen from the Captain since they'd met.

"I b'lieve we should set sail full speed t'wards lan', now, Chief. Tis the only thing we c'n do." Ichiro hesitated briefly, then nodded, and turned to accompany the sailors in trying to keep the largest mast from smashing into the upper deck.

*************

Link cupped his gloved hands around the ocarina, cradling it gently. The texture seemed smoother, the wood a more beautiful cream color, the faded holes a testament to some faith. He didn't look up when Tappor came to cut away the bandage from around his brow.

"Now there you are," Tappor said cheerfully, "You are looking much better, my friend! Only a few more days and there should be no sign at all! But tell me, how do you feel now?" 

Link turned the instrument carefully, aching at how easily it fit into his cupped hands. He pulled off one of the rust-colored gloves, and clasped the ocarina in his left hand, running a callused thumb over the smooth hull. Finally, as if out of a trance, he looked up at Tappor, and blinked.

"Fine... I'm fine." His voice was hoarse with strain, and Tappor shook his head, turning to lay the bandage aside. Ichiro, his tall frame leaned in the doorway, folded his arms over his chest, and watched Link impassively.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it." He said. "A good soldier keeps his wits about him in all situations." 

Tappor grumbled something under his breath, and turned with a sigh, handing Link a steaming cup. 

"Mind that you drink all of it, my friend. It is an old recipe for a potion, and it should help to mend afflictions faster... Or so I've been told, though, between you, I, and the Hylian scholars, I trust no more than good, solid science." That said, he ambled to the door, and gave Ichiro a frosty look. "Pardon me, your Cheiflyness, but there are things needed to be done around here." 

Ichiro gave him a dark look, but eased off of the 'sill, and stepped aside. Tappor passed him, and Ichiro turned to step fully into the room.

"Get yourself together," He addressed Link. "It's not over yet. We haven't even reached the shore." Link ignored him. "Do you hear me?" Ichiro snarled. "You were given a task, boy, a great task, by the Rulers of Hyrule! And by the Goddesses I won't let you sit there and-" Ichiro suddenly lost his voice as he was slammed up against the door.

Link pressed his arm in at the Chief's throat, and gazed up at him with barely-suppressed rage. 

"No," He snarled, "You listen to _me_. We aren't going to some place to save your princess! You-" 

Ichiro abruptly twisted out of his grasp, and slammed a fist into the side of Link's head. Link reeled back, and hit the floor hard, scrabbling to get back up. Ichiro lifted him bodily, and delivered a blow to his stomach, stepping back as he doubled over.

"I beg to differ," Ichiro said, in a low, dangerous voice. "I've been putting up with your shit since we started this mission, and now I'm finished with you!"

"No!" Link wheezed, lunging forward to grapple with him. Ichiro's strength was greater, however, and he twisted Link around, using the youth's own force to throw him down. Link rose again, but this time made a different approach, tackling Ichiro around the knees, and pulling him down. 

"Damn it!" Ichiro swore, pounding Link on the back with a fist. Link made another wheezing sound, but struggled forward, and wrapped an arm around the Chief's throat, cutting off his air. Ichiro struggled, and Link brought up another arm to support the one already in action.

"I said, listen to me!" Link shouted in his ear. "We're going to find that pirate, and we're going to get Saria back! WE AREN'T LEAVING WITHOUT HER!" He twisted around, bringing a knee up into the Chief's back. Ichiro tried to get free, but felt his body locking up under the strain of the tangled move. Link began to feel his own muscles jumping under the strain, and he felt his grip start to loosen. He tightened it again, driving his knee even harder against Ichiro's spine. Finally, the Chief slumped, and Link released him, getting up and moving away quickly. 

Ichiro gasped for air, pushing himself up into a sitting position. Down the hallway they could hear the approach of many feet, and several crewmen came rushing in.

"Wot 'appened?" The first one in said, eyeing the scene. One of the sailors left, and in a few minutes, returned with the Captain.

"Avast!" He cried, seeing them both. He squinted at them, tugging on his beard. "Wot took place, sirs?" 

Finally, Ichiro pulled himself up, and stood stiffly. The Royal Guard, having only arrived, poured into the room, and tackled Link, quickly overpowering and capturing him. 

"Wait!" Ichiro called, and they froze. He rubbed his neck, and came forward to kneel in front of Link, who was panting, and still trying to struggle. "You're a young fool to try a move like that. I could have you arrested for treason."

"Go ahead!" Link spat. "You coward, you have enough hands and arms!" The closest guard cuffed him, and Link was pushed to the floor again. Ichiro held up a sharp hand gesture, and they loosened their grip again. He grasped Link by the hair, and lifted his face.

"Not like you." He said quietly. "You're a fool, and you're a punk... but you're no coward. What you did took a lot of guts, and a lot of true grit. No Hylian has ever bested me in a fight. Let him up!" He commanded, releasing his hold, and rising again. Link dragged himself up, and held his aching side. The Captain ordered the crewmembers to depart, and all left until only Ichiro and Link stood alone in the room.

"We have to get her back," Link said weakly, feeling woozy. "I won't let them-"

"You can't do anything." Ichiro interrupted with a frown. "All you can do is start trouble, and maybe get yourself killed. However, it wasn't my intention to just let them go without a fight. I'm not that heartless, kid. We'll get your young heart back, but not yet. We have other problems to attend to, namely, the ship is flooding, and we have several weeks left of travel." Link looked up in surprise.

"I didn't know that," He muttered, rubbing his sore head.

"Of course you didn't," Ichiro said. "You were too busy sitting in this room, harrowing away about things you have no control over."

Link stooped to pick up his hood, and brushed it off with a sigh. His ribs hurt, along with his head and back. "How long do we have left?"

"Two, three more days, at the most." Ichiro responded. "There are some keel boats aboard for the crew, but they weren't made for cross-sea journey." 

Link looked at him quietly. "I didn't even think about that stuff... All I could think about was getting Saria back..."

"We can't even get to her until we can first get ourselves in a safer position," Ichiro told him. "Always remember that. If you want to be able to help others, you must first help yourself."

It was a new kind of logic for Link, and he wondered about it quietly. Ichiro knelt on the floor, and picked up Saria's ocarina which Link had dropped. He set it on the bed, and turned to go. "Now get some rest, kid. You'll be of no use to us if you can't even stand." 

Link nodded slowly, and watched the Chief leave the room in a stiff walk, his thoughts far away.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimers are in chapter 1. Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! Its nice to know how you feel about how the story's going. Tao, I'm working on it. As the story progresses, I'm trying to improve my style. All right, here we go. I foresee more bad guy material in the next chapter.

Ch. 22

There is a Power whose care

Teaches thy way along that pathless coast-

The desert and illimitable air-

Lone wandering, but not lost.

-William C. Bryant

Ichiro strode down the deck restlessly, followed by a frustrated Captain. He paused several times in intervals, and clasped the side of the gunwall with whitened knuckles. Tappor, who had been engaged in a one-sided in-depth discussion of deep-sea fishing with several harried sailors, spotted him, and came over. 

"Good Chief," He enunciated, catching Ichiro's annoyed look. "I do believe it is time for a conference to be held on our whereabouts and situation, don't you agree?" Ichiro opened his mouth to argue, but stopped himself, and gave a jerk of his head.

"Captain," He said coolly, and left the two there. The Captain looked after him with a sigh, tugging on his beard habitually. 

"Chiefs takin' it 'ard," He said to the scholar, thoughtful. Tappor huffed.

"True, he should be more 'on top' of the situation at hand," The little Hylian said, nodding, "Though the ship is doomed, we've lost a dear friend, the Princess has been kidnapped, we may not see the next setting of the sun, Hyrule is doom-"

"A'right a'right!" The Captain cried, eyeing him fiercely. "'Tis a mess! But 'earken, the Chief is takin' it _pers'nully_." 

Tappor nodded again. 

"He considers his work at fault," He finally said. "He deems himself responsible."

"Fer wot?" The Captain growled. 

"For everything, my good man," Tappor responded, removing his worn spectacles to dust them off. "For everything."

*************

That night the moon had waxed to fullness, and the sea was illuminated, eerily cast in the lunar light. The waves rose towards the sky, and the ship swayed tenaciously under them. 

The meeting had been called towards midnight, and all of the crew had congregated in the mess quarters. The tables were once again full, though this time an air of uneasiness and fear was took up what had once been excitement. Link took a seat beside Tappor, who having spotted some of the sailors' tattoos, had started a new conversation on the art. 

Link tapped his fingers on the table impatiently, his eyes focused on the shadowy forms of the Captain and Ichiro, cast in a flickering light from the torches. So intent was he on this that it took several minutes for him to realize that Tappor had been calling his name. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to the scholar.

"I do hope you're sound," Tappor said. "You've been quite aloof and lethargic this day. May I rightly presume it to be old wounds acting up?"

"...Yeah," Link responded, tracing a groove in the worn surface of the table. "I haven't exactly been resting up like I should have been..." The noise in the room began to die down, and they both looked up to see Ichiro stepping forward.

"If we're all here now, I'd like for this meeting to commence." The Chief began. All faces turned to him, eyes intent. "The coast of Mijjori is approximately three weeks journey from here, if we continue at the same speed as now. The problem is, we have around two days left before the ship fills, and begins to capsize."

A new round of voices raised, as the sailors and soldiers began to speak in worried tones. 

"QUIET!" The Captain roared, slamming a hand into the same unfortunate table as always. The whole party jumped, and even Ichiro's eyes widened slightly. In the silence that followed, Ichiro continued.

"Ahem, well, our goal is to maintain the present speed, but we'll begin to prepare the keel boats with our supplies. Also, as of tonight, a message will be sent out over the water to find any help we can. It will be received, and sent back as a guide to us."

Another low murmur began, and before the Captain could become outraged again, Tappor rose and cleared his throat.

"I was not aware we had the means to send a message! How will we perceive that bearers who collect it are not hostile?" Several heads nodded at this. Ichiro sighed.

"We have no way of knowing. As of now, our lives are in the hands of the Goddesses and Fate."

Fate. 

Link clenched his fists. He hated the word, hated the control it had. Not that he blamed the Goddesses, his peoples' patrons, for it. No, fate was its own evil, it seemed to control and master, dominate and enslave. He closed his eyes tightly.

_I told you we would control our own fate_, he thought. _And I promise we will... I won't wait for destiny to hand me something... From now on, I'm in control_!

He dropped his fists on the table in front of him heavily, and rose in the hubbub created by the latest news. Several watched him go curiously, but none rose to interfere.

*************

Link walked out on the top deck, the icy northern breeze blowing in from the sea to chill him. It didn't disturb him, though, and he wandered out to the bowsprit. Far away, in the darkness, he wondered, was Saria looking out at the night too? Did they let her, or did they keep her locked up in a cell?

His fists clenched, and he threw out hand to hit the wheel in frustration. He couldn't do anything for his friend now. _Not that I ever could_, he thought bitterly. _No matter what she said, I was always weak... _

"I'm no hero," He whispered. "I can't even protect anyone... I'm always being protected!" He slammed both fists down on the gunwall, and winced, pulling them back to see splinters in his new gloves. Here the wood was new, and not altogether smoothed out of rough edges. He sighed, and picked them out one by one. The last drew a bead blood, and he wiped the smudge away. The ship suddenly rocked on a particularly uneven wave, and a spray of cold seawater came up and hit him in the face, making him draw in a breath at the sudden chill. He looked down.

Had the level of water risen around the ship, or was it just his imagination?

It probably had.

Link reached out behind him, and felt the comforting grip of his blade. He pulled it out of its plain casing, and studied it in the moonlight. 

It was a good, strong blade, made by skilled Goron hands, and had a keen edge, and a single bloodchannel down its center. He rotated his wrist, watching the moonlight dance across it, and felt himself warming to it. Soon, he was dancing, bringing the blade around in slashes, lunges, and parries. The weight felt good, and he brought both hands together to clasp it, twisting and leaping to battle imaginary foes. 

The sailors on duty turned to watch, and looked on in awed silence at the display of natural skill. 

*************

Ichiro, who had stayed behind to speak to the Captain, stretched his stiff arms and headed towards the stairs. He was tired now, but his mind was alive with the danger he and his crew were now in, and he could not rest. No amount of training could have prepared them for the problem that faced them now. He stepped out into the night, and drew a deep breath of the salty air, before pausing suddenly.

Somewhere near, he could hear the faint whistle of a blade, and the heavy breathing of its wielder. The Chief looked around himself, and started up the open stairway to the top deck, stopping in surprise.

*************

Link, unaware of the crowd he had attained, grasped the blade in one hand and swept it around in a full circle in a move he had made up. The sword sang as it whirred around, and he ended it abruptly where he had begun. 

Only now, as he halted, did he hear clapping, and he stood up straight to see several crewmembers watching with grins.

"Grea' Farore!" One shouted. "That was fantast'c, lad!" The others nodded, and Link lowered his weapon arm sheepishly. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a tall figure, and turned to see Ichiro watching quietly. The Chief of Guard stepped forward.

"Not bad." He said. "Surprising, actually. I didn't think you knew what that thing was for. I guess I was wrong..."

"That another compliment?" Link called bravely. Ichiro's now pale-gray eyes widened, and then narrowed. 

"I give them where I see them," He growled, and came forward. Link took a step back, but Ichiro only held out a hand. "Hand me the blade. I'll tell you if it's a Goron blade or not." Link hesitated, and then reluctantly handed the sword to him. "If you want to stay in one piece, you had better step back." Ichiro warned. Link sighed, and did so.

Immediately, Ichiro started in a slow warm-up move, bringing the blade twisting around in a curve. Soon, though, before the watching eyes, the blade began to move faster and faster, until it was a blur. The wind around the blade whistled, and the moonlight flashed over it in a dull, winking gleam, giving it an even greater effect.

Link's eyes widened in amazement. If Ichiro made one wrong move now it could cost him a limb. Instead, he finally slowed the blade down, and switched hands in the blink of an eye, hefting the blade in his left hand. 

"Good size," He said, the look of fierce concentration leaving his face. "But at a good weight, also. This is a Goron blade: you can tell by the balance. It gives the wielder strength, but speed; its a medium." He held the blade out hilt first, and Link took it back dumbly. "Start with drills," He told him curtly. "If you just slash around like that, you'll stress your shoulder and back muscles." Link nodded again, and the Chief left the top deck in the surrounding silence. 

"'Mazin'," One of the crew finally said. "They say 'e be the best in the land. An' now that I seen it fer meself, I er'gree."

"If e's so great," Another said. "Wot 'appened back at the castle?"

" 'oo knows?" Was the response, as the Ichiro's sturdy form disappeared into the shadows below deck. "P'raps 'e ran? P'raps 'e lost. P'raps thats wots got 'em so tied up, mate." There were several 'aye's, as the crew shook their heads, and dispersed back to their posts. Link stood looking down a moment longer. 

_Is that what happened? _Link thought. _Did you feel weak like I do? Did you fail the ones you care for?_

He sighed, leaning on his sword, and twisted the tip of the blade idly into the wooden deck, the desire to practice gone. 

Maybe they weren't so different after all.

*************

The following morning found the hull several more inches below water, the waves coming up and sometimes over the gunwall. Several crewmen stood ready with buckets and mops to soak up the errant water, and all were in a state of anxiety. 

Link had again taken the watch up in the crow's nest. He needed his mind to be focused on something, anything, and the watch kept him at alert. Down below, the Guard drilled, and he switched between watching the open waters and watching their skilled practice. 

They were the best of the best, the elite that Hyrule had needed and that Ichiro had made. Each soldier was the picture of fighting perfection in its species, well trimmed and shaped into warriors. He sighed and drummed his fingers on the watch's edge. 

"_Vvvvvvvvvv_!" 

Link jerked at the sound, and looked around in bafflement. A small shadow darted overhead, and he looked up to see a bright light dancing around. It crackled with energy, giving off a white, brilliant light. Link had to squint his eyes against the brilliance of it, and shade his eyes. It darted to and fro a for a moment longer, and then shot right for him. 

"Whoa!" He yelped, ducking down into the nest to dodge it. 

"_Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv_!" It seemed to call, and swooped back around and towards him. This time, he wasn't fast enough, and it ran into this shoulder, falling back for a moment before it shot up and began to dart around again. Link felt his shoulder, but there was no burn, and he suddenly realized why.

"Oh... Um, Captain!" He cupped his mouth and leaned over the watch's side. "Captain!!!! Someone get the Captain!"

One of the Guard halted his swordplay, and turned to look up. "What is it?" He called. He spotted the light, and halted the rest of the men, who gathered forward. One of the soldiers raced down below deck to fetch Ichiro, and the Captain likewise came bursting out of his cabin.

"Wot is it now?" He bellowed, glaring at the crew. "Who's callin'?"

"The watch," Someone responded. Deadleg squinted up fiercely, and spotted the light circling around Link. 

"Shiver me timbers!" He rumbled. "You thar, fetch the Chief!"

"No need," Ichiro called, having just ascended. "I'm here..." He turned to Tappor, a frown on his face. "That's your magic. Care to deal with it?"

Tappor situated his spectacles, and gave Ichiro a look.

"Certainly," He responded, waddling forward. Once he had come up to the mizzenmast, Tappor held up his hands, cupped to the air, and the bright light suddenly dipped and plummeted, diving into his outstretched hands. 

The crew immediately swarmed forward in curiosity as he studied the light in his hands, and Link climbed down from the nest to see. 

"Well?" Ichiro asked in impatience.

"Do find some restraint," Tappor responded. He then lapsed into silence as Link came to stand beside him. Finally, he moved his hands around, flattening the palms as the light seemed to solidify. "Ah, yes..."

"Wot is it?" One impatient sailor called out.

"Just a moment..." Tappor began. "Observe!" The light suddenly seemed to flicker, and then started to change between several colors, finally landing on white again. "There!" Tappor said with satisfaction. "It has detected another ship!"

A cheer was thrown up, and they crowded around closer. The Captain, however, set upon them, pushing any unfortunate body away.

"Steady now!" He roared. They immediately fell to grumbling, and then silence at his glare. "Now go on, Schol'r, sir."

Tappor nodded, his short, round shoulders sagging from the magic's strain.

"They are perhaps fifty-five nautical miles away. Less than a week at our present speed, I believe."

"Except for the fact that we'll be stranded by sunset tomorrow." Ichiro muttered in impatience. The crew began to murmur, but suddenly fell silent as Link began to speak.

"Wait!" He stopped them. "We have the keel boats. All we have to do is make sure all of our stuff is together, and then we can leave the ship before it capsizes!"

"Then wot?" Someone called out.

"Then... we wait." Link shrugged. "They already know we need help, so they'll be hurrying."

Several heads began to nod, and the crew relaxed slightly. Tappor took this time to affirm Link's words.

"The spell's colors indicate that not only has our message been received, but that our correspondence will now be rushing to meet us."

Finally, the crew was appeased, and began to wander away, talking amongst themselves. This was cut short by the captain, however, who came roaring after them. They quickly ran back to their posts, and the morning calmed somewhat.

Ichiro came to stand by Tappor and Link. 

"Scholar," He growled. "That had better be accurate."

"Oh, I can assure you it is," Tappor responded calmly, disbanding the solid-looking light away. "This sort of magic has been used for quite some time, although, not overseas, mind you."

"One problem." Link interrupted. "How can we tell these people aren't more pirates?"

"We can't," Ichiro responded. "All we can do is just wait and pray. The chances of us even making contact were very slim."

"Is there a possibility that its RedEye?" Link finally asked uneasily. 

"Could be," Ichiro grunted. Abruptly, he left them, and went back across the deck to the waiting Guard. Tappor and Link watched him go.

"Maybe it would be better to be stuck out here." Link muttered, flexing his hands in anxiety. Tappor shrugged.

"I believe our good Chief is right. In this, at least. All we may do is wait, and hope for the best. I say, however, to look at the good side of everything. If it is RedEye, then we will be that much closer to rescuing Saria."

Link looked at him in surprise. "Yeah... I guess." He finally shrugged, thoughtful. Tappor chuckled at his expression, and excused himself to go and look at his scrolls. Link was left standing by himself, and he turned to look out anxiously onto the open waters.


	23. Chapter 23

*Yawn* Disclaimers? Chapter 1. It's far too early on this Memorial Day for uploading, but hey, I haven't been doing my job to you guys and updating regularly. Hope everyone has a great holiday. 

Ch. 23

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,

Life is but an empty dream!-

For the soul is dead that slumbers,

And things are not what they seem.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Kafka swiped at the table angrily, spilling out its contents across the chilled marble floor. The servant stepped back, fearful, and watched her lord carefully. 

The dark youth paced across the floor, a bitter look on his face.

"Fool!" He hissed. The servant began a slow retreat back towards the door. It swung open abruptly, and Juno entered, swishing his burdensome cape aside in impatience. He passed the timid-looking servant with a curious look, and approached his brother.

"What's going on?" He asked, looking at the mess on the otherwise clean marble floor. 

Kafka stopped, and turned, his features twisting. 

"Look for yourself!" He spat, tossing the scroll at his brother. Juno reached out quickly and caught the scroll, bringing it close to unravel. He read across the contents for a few moments, his eyes furrowed in concentration as he did.

"How does he know we have the princess?" He finally asked, eyes widened in surprise. Kafka swore under his breath, and slammed a fist into the table.

"How does one usually find out?" He spat. "He has spies..."

Juno's bright blue eyes blinked. "Spies? In the castle? Who would-"

Kafka rushed across the floor and halted within an inch of his brother's face, effectively cutting off his question.

"It's not_ who_! It's _what_!" He hissed. Juno looked away from his brother's dark eyes. 

"What? Like magic?" Kafka nodded. "Then," He frowned thoughtfully. "Why should he get the princess? We found her." Kafka sighed.

"Because he knows something we don't," The darker boy growled, turning around to take a seat at the table. He poured himself a bowl of wine, and sipped from it slowly. "I believe that our newest addition is keeping something from us," He murmured to himself. "He must have been after her all along... But why? There's no power to her... Or that's what I assumed..."

Juno took a seat across from his brother, and took the half-full container from him to pour his own wine.

"I'm not going to let him have her," He said stubbornly, catching his brother's attention. Kafka leaned forward, and rested his arms on the table, meeting his brother's determined eyes. "He's a monster," Juno said simply. Kafka laughed softly, stretching his arms out in a sinuous yawn. 

"Yes... a monster." He said, collapsing back in his new throne chair. "A monster that our dear cat _surely_ needs protection from." 

*************

He was torn from the recesses of his dream by a sharp cry, seemingly close by. He reeled out of sleep, and looked around, eyes widened. Again, he heard it, and the sound of a struggle above deck. 

Link sat up, and pulled the rough blanket back. He had only a moment to pull on his boots, before there was a momentous tearing sound, and he had to lunge out of the way as something large crashed through the cabin's wall. Link stumbled back, and looked at the thing in amazement. It was a tentacle, long and slimy, thrashing around powerfully. Sea water started to pour into the room quickly, and Link waded through, trying to get around to tentacle and to his bed, where the ocarinas and his sword lay. The creature's limb, as if sensing this, starting to retract, and Link saw what it meant to do.

Quickly, he sloshed through the now waist-high water, and scooped the ocarinas into the crook of his arm. 

The tentacle came crashing through again, a hairsbreadth from his face, and smash into the floor, sea water following it down into the new hole. Link hooked both the ocarinas on his belt, and reached for his sword which had begun to sink in the rising water. 

Just as his hand closed over it, the tentacle retracted, and he was thrown back as the powerful limb swiped at him as it left the hole in the wall. Link fell back into the water, and pushed himself back up. This time he had to swim for the door, as the water had risen around his neck. He felt the telltale signs of claustrophobia at being closed in, and struggled to keep calm as he half swam, half stumbled out of the room and into the hall. 

Here, the water was flooding in quickly from other places as well, and Link sheathed the blade on his back and began to run down the corridor towards the stairs. A few sailors rushed by, but they paid him no heed as they struggled to grab supplies. Up above, he could hear the shouts of men, and the sound of something large banging around the deck. He took the stairs in a rush and struggled to pull the suddenly flooded door inwards. The water resisted the movement, and he turned to pushing steadily against it. He hissed under his breath as he applied his weight.

"HEY!" He shouted back, as he heard another form running by. "Can you help me here?" There was a pause, and then the splash of someone running, and Ichiro was suddenly at his side. 

"That's not a choice, anymore." The Chief said calmly. "The door is jammed on the outside, and the water is blocking it on the inside."

"Then what?" Link gritted out, shoving his shoulders against the solid doorframe.

"Then we either try to find another way, or we die." Ichiro answered. Link looked up, wide eyed. "What's the matter," Ichiro said, his tone unreadable. "Afraid of death?" Link stared at him for a moment, and then shook his head, turning back to the door. 

"NO!" Link shouted, slamming a fist against it. "Get everyone else who's down here! We'll get out!" 

Ichiro's brow furrowed. "How?"

"By..." Suddenly he had an idea, and he reached behind him with a stiffened arm to unsheathe the Goron blade. "Get back!" He warned, and heard Ichiro's retreat. Link probed the doorsill with the tip of the blade, sweat pouring down his forehead. "We've... we've got to take it from the top... Pull it down."

"Then go for the hinges!" Ichiro called, and Link nodded. He raised the weapon up as steadily as possible, and brought it down in an arc towards the side of the door.

The first hit was off, and the tip of the blade sunk into the door itself. Link gritted his teeth, and tugged it out.

"Focus!" Ichiro roared. "Don't raise the blade so high!"

Link nodded again, and redoubled his efforts. This time, he jammed the blade into the metal hinges, and was rewarded by the _clink _as the first hinge was destroyed. The swollen wood groaned against the pressure the blade exerted between the two frames, and Link put his free right hand on the naked blade, heedless of the stinging bite, as he forcefully pushed it down and into the second hinge, which snapped out of its hold with a splintering of wood. 

By this time, the water in the hallway had risen above their knees, and the floor beneath them swayed as the ship groaned under some weight. The sailors who had been assessing the damage before now came back to watch Link as he slowly cut at the door. Soon, a fine slit of light came in through the 'sill, and they felt a new ray of hope.

"C'mon, lad! Heave!"

"Break yor back on it, boy!"

"Aye, give it 'ell!"

Link gritted his teeth, and rotated the blade with his left hand, using his right hand to probe at the cut he had made with raw fingers. 

The ship groaned, and a sudden shaking almost cost him his balance, but a strong hand gripped his shoulder, and held him steady.

"That's right, kid... you can do it."

With a final heave of exertion, there was a rending crack, and the door loosened enough for them to grasp it at the top to pull inwards. The water rising around them seemed to fight against the process, but Link levered his blade in-between the frame and the 'sill, and they pull it out of the entryway, and threw it into the water.

"Away!!" Someone called, and they crawled up through the remaining smashed-in stairway to give aid to their crewmates up above.

*************

On-deck, the ship was in chaos. 

The sailors along with the Guard fought furiously against the long, thrashing tentacles that smashed ship and body alike. Some of the limbs sported long spines down their lengths, which slashed at the sails and punctured flesh as if maddened.

"'FORCE-BE-DAMNED SEA BEAST!" The Captain roared, pounding away maniacally at the one of the tentacles with an enormous club he'd make-shifted from the broken yardarm. The tentacle retreated slightly, shivering, before lunging forward and wrapping around his legs, dragging his great frame up off of his feet. "YARGH! Lerrego! Ya fish-gutt'd, yeller-liver'd, frog-spawn'd, bilge-ratted-" 

Ichiro arrived quickly, and used his own blade to sever the limb. Somewhere in the boiling water, a shrieking scream rose, and the wounded limb retracted off of the ship, leaving a trail of a green fluid behind it. Immediately, all of the limbs seemed to shake, before beginning the assault anew.

"Thar's too many of 'em, Cap'n!" A young sailor gasped, kneeling beside the grizzled Captain. "The ship's doomed!"

"We alrea'y knew that, ya sea mongrel! Get them boats ready!" The sailor saluted and stumbled away. Tappor and Link arrived beside them. Ichiro whipped out his blade once more, and an advancing tentacle from behind Tappor fell back with a shudder. The little scholar blinked in surprise, and turned back to him.

"I do believe you have just saved my life, good Chief! How, to the bottom most recesses of my insignificant being, could I express gratitude to such a chivalrous, talented-"

"All right," Ichiro growled, giving him a look, before turning back to the Captain. "The boats are as good as ready now." Deadleg nodded, squinting fiercely up at the innocent sunlight that shined over the sea battle. 

"Then lets be off!" He called. "AVAST! Make fer the keels, men!"

Just as they turned to go, another tentacle shot forth, and wrapped itself around Link's leg. Link turned, struggling, and tried to kick it off. It held on tightly, and began to drag him, and he brought his sword up and over to stab at the dark, slimy limb. The blow struck it slightly off, but he managed to slice into it. The limb suddenly tightened its hold, and dragged him up off of his feet. 

He sailed through the air for a moment, before being slammed into the Captain's cabin wall. The strong timber cracked at the impact, and the thing dropped him. He slid down to the deck, and lay in a daze for a moment, before his eyes blinked open in time to see the tentacle wrap around his blade, and begin to recede into the water. 

"Hey!" He shouted, struggling up to chase it across the deck. "That's my sword!"

The tentacle retreated over the side of the ship in the blink of an eye, and without thinking, he dived over the gunwall after it, into the boiling sea. The unnatural heat of the water was almost painful, and he kicked out with his legs to swim deeper into the dark water towards the sea creature waiting in the shadows below.

*************

Saria slowly lifted her head from the salt-corroded bars and blinked, dazed, at the light that poured into the cramped gallery. Voices trickled in from down the hallway, and she crawled back into the shadows of the small cell to wait and listen. 

The voices grew louder, and two shadows started to grow on the opposite wall. Soon, the figures of the pirates appeared, and she watched quietly as they walked by.

"...That's righ', mate. 'E's a cool 'un."

"Cool 'un? A bloody-eyed devil! Did'jer see wot 'e did to them folks in t' port?"

"'Course I did, mate! Any'ow, they was askin' fer it; damn fools shoulda listened." 

"Aye, aye. But 'earken, did'jer see that beast t'day? Gar! I'd hate ter be those poor bast'rds when it gets 'em!"

"You said it, bucko... An' I'd hate ta be Cap'n 'Deadleg' when it finds '_im_!"

Their crabby laughter retreated down the hall, and Saria shuddered. Shakily, she crawled forward again, and leaned against the cool bars. She slowly opened her eyes, and drew in a painful breath.

Her hair, which had once been bright and florescent, was now dulled and caked with dark, rusty blood. The left side of her face was dark, cut and bruised from the beating she'd taken from the Captain. 

Saria sighed shakily, and closed her dark eyes against the pirates' words, her head pounding from a concussion. 

_Link_..._  
_

*************

His widened eyes stung, and it felt as if a strong metal band had begun to press forcefully against his chest, forcing air from his lungs. He kicked his legs strongly, swimming downwards through the layer of foamy water that had appeared before him. Suddenly, it cleared, and the creature was right in front of him, a dozen larger tentacles waving about sinuously in the hot water. The massive, dark form didn't seem to notice him, and he went to work trying to find the tentacle wrapped around his sword.

Link's lungs began to burn under the pressure, and he felt the darkness at the edges of his vision closing in. The creature's limb, bearing his blade, waved lazily around in front of him, and he reached for it haphazardly. His probing hand touched the heated metal, and he grasped it, tugging blindly at the sword. It lurched in his hand, biting deeply into the already bleeding cut in his palm as the creature seemed to find him, and he lost the grip.

Link gritted his teeth, feeling suddenly dazed as the lack of air began to take its toll, and turned around in the water to start the slow ascent to the surface. A seizing pressure gripped his legs, though, and he felt one of the powerful limbs twist painfully around his lower body, pulling him down again, into the darkness below.


	24. Chapter 24

Bet you can't guess where the disclaimers are? (Ch. 1, people) I know, I know, but I have to keep saying it. Honestly. Well...I'm a big fan of Longfellow, anyone read his work? But then again I'm also a fan of Brian Jaques, can you tell? It all sort of goes together. I can't even see how far this story is going, I feel its epic-ness... As always, tell me what you think. 

Ch. 24

The sea awoke at midnight from its sleep,

And round the pebbly beaches far and wide

I heard the first wave of the rising tide...

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The roar of the water around his ears began to calm, until it was only a distant sound, and his eyes closed of their own accord. 

The grip on his legs never seized, but no longer did he notice it. It was much easier now to just relax. The pain in his lungs and throat was gone, and in him there was a slight confusion at the feeling of floating. His body finally relaxed, and he began to drift, limp, in the lazily sifting water.

A noise, small and sharp, seemed to be niggling at his mind, and he frowned. Who was trying to disturb his sleep? It came again, and he twitched, annoyed at the bothersome sound. Finally, exasperated, he opened his eyes, and took in the depths of the water. 

Far away, at first, but moving quickly, a sleek, slender shape was swimming towards him, and vaguely he heard words, seemingly from the precious air bubbles that were squeezed from his lungs.

"It's you!"

He turned his head slowly, and blinked, following the shape as it grew. It came towards him until he recognized the light teal of the skin, and the deep, large obsidian eyes. 

A Zora? How?

"I knew we'd meet again!" The voice said. As the Zora approached, its features focused, and through his shadowy vision he could see the certain haughtiness in the face, along with a measure of good-natured kindness.

The Zora came to a halt near him, righting itself until it seemed to stand in the water.

"And I knew you'd come for me, my love!"

His eyes snapped open fully, and he started in surprise. The tentacle's grip had eased, and he found himself floating freely. 

_Not real_, the vague thought came to him. _An illusion. _His chest burned fiercely, and he clutched at it, nonplused. When he had looked back up, the Zora was gone. He looked at the spot for a few more moments, and then turned resolutely towards the sea creature.

It watching him with dimly shining eyes; slits of fine yellow that flickered rapidly from the head-or what he took to be the head. Its mouth, a dark cavern, opened widely, and it produced a shrill scream that deafened him momentarily. He reeled back, and watched in trepidation as the tentacles shot around him, coming down to wrap him in their crushing grips. Link twisted away kicking at the closest of the limbs, and began to swim furiously towards the one that dangled his sword invitingly, his lungs still tingling with the strange fire from within. 

*************

A seizing pain in his chest brought him slowly towards awareness, and his brows furrowed at the pressure. It continued, in intervals, and finally, from the depths of unconsciousness, he began to rise.

"C'mon, lad! That's it! Giv' the sea back its water, ya greedy cad!"

He came reeling into consciousness, choking on the seawater and blood that sat in his throat like a thick sludge. It finally began to come up, and he struggled to turn as it threatened to gag him. Helping hands roughly turned him over, and he proceeded to cough up the rest of the water in his lungs and stomach. Voices loomed in and out of his hearing, and he forcefully tried to get his bearings.

"Goodness! Here you are! And to conceive they thought you expired! Pshaw!"

The voice was familiar, and he clutched at it, allowing it to lead him back to his thoughts. 

"T...Tappor?" He wheezed, trying to pull himself up. His vision was slightly blurred, and he tried to sit up, his sides aching. 

The little scholar patted his hand.

"In the very flesh, my friend. And yourself, too, might I add!" 

Link sat up, dazedly, and looked around. He had been lain in the center of the largest keel boat, four more following closely behind. In the distance, he could see the wreck of the _New Dawn_, and he watched sadly as it's once great form began to sink into the murky waters. The boiling of the sea was gone, and with it the creature.

"What... what happened?" He finally asked. The Captain, who had been standing at the head of the their boat, roaring out orders left and right, turned to steadily move back to where he was sitting. 

"Avast! Well stap me rudder, if it ain't our warrior, up from 'is mornin' nap!" He chuckled, and looked as if he was about to thump Link good naturededly on the back. Tappor's warning look stopped him though, and he merely clasped the youth's shoulder. "That twas some guts, lad, if I ever saw 'em! Foolish o' ya, but gutty as 'ell!" 

Link suddenly remembered. "My sword!" He said, alarmed, looking around wildly. 

"Alay yor fears, matey!" One of the rowing sailors called back. "It's righ' there at yor feet!" 

Link looked down, and spotted the now green-colored blade. He bent down stiffly, and lifted it up. Absent-mindedly, he felt for the belt at his waist, and ran a hand over the two ocarinas clasped there. 

"We thought ya were a gonner!" The same sailor said. "But that grea' fish threw yer from the water like you was an arrer'!" 

Link looked around slowly, getting his wits back. The last of the sun was sinking below the horizon, casting an orange glow on everything it touched. On the last boat in the line, where most of the supplies were, sat Ichiro, his back turned to the rest of the crew. He was crouched, his sword leaned against his shoulder, his face turned away. 

_There's more to his story_, Link thought. _I wonder what happened to make him so cold_?

His thoughts were interrupted by another round of the Captain's unfazed bellow of orders to his crewmembers. Link sighed, wincing at the pain in his ribs, and laid his head back, letting the darkness claim his tired body once again.

*************

RedEye stared impassively as the crew dragged the creature in by a tentacle, their faces screwed up in disgust and not a little fear. Behind the dark shape, floating near the surface, was a trail of green tinted water that seemed to stretch far behind it. Other tentacles made a feeble attempt to latch onto the gunwall of the _BloodWave_, falling short and sliding back down the hull to plop into the now-warm water. 

The Second-In-Command, a burly, tattooed Hylian who had grown up in Abaka, sidled up to him carefully, watching his Captain's features.

"Sir," He finally said, in a low voice. RedEye slowly dragged his cool, pale scarlet eye away from the scene below, and turned to his Second. 

The pirate swallowed, and then tightened his jaw.

"What're your orders, Sir? Watch says we're heading' inter hostile territories... Should I give t' signal ter come about?"

He waited silently, before RedEye finally spoke. 

"No... Throw the weight... I want to reconnoiter, and find out what the hell happened to my monster." He turned away, and moved down the deck, watching his crews' progress.

The Second winced, but saluted sharply to the turned back, and stomped away to give orders. 

Far down the deck, the galley door swung open, and a young pirate came dashing out. He raced across the deck, towards RedEye, and was caught around the arm by a veteran crewmember.

"Watch yorself," The elder growled, dragging him the side. "Ain't ya got no sense, ya block'ead? Yon Cap'n's in one o' 'is moods!" The youger pirate stopped to catch his breath.

"But I got news fer 'em!" He responded, roughly tugging his arm away. "It's about the pris'ner!" The elder scowled, stepping forward.

"Then yer gonna have ter wait, I said! Lands alive, dont'cher know anythin'? Or are ya lookin' fer a floggin'?"

"But I got ta-"

"That will be all." Their Captains voice boomed, and both froze. The elder gritted his teeth, turning on the youth.

"Now look whatchyer did, yer-"

"Did I not make myself clear?" The voice called, and the older pirate fell silent. RedEye approached them, a new fire in his dark eye. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he stepped forward, never taking his eye from them.

"You," He said sharply, looking towards the younger. "Report."

The youth swallowed. "Cap'n, the pris'ner 'as fallen inter a sleep or sum'thin'!"

RedEye's single eye narrowed, taking on a darker hue. 

"Fallen asleep? You came to tell me she fell asleep?"

"No, er, I meantersay," He gulped. "She's in a _mag'c _sleep! She won' respond ter anythin' I do!" 

"Damn!" RedEye suddenly said, his face twisting in anger. It was a rare moment of emotion for the Captain, and all present took a step back reflexively. "You," He told the pirate. "Come with me. The rest of you! Get back to work!" The last was said in a shout, and they scurried to obey. The young pirate nodded, and lead him downstairs to the galley where the prison cells were held.

*************

RedEye removed the sword-glove from his left hand, and used it to feel the young prisoners pulse, his face darkening by the moment. 

It had slowed to an almost indecipherable pitch, the rhythm coming in every few seconds, heavily. 

He sighed. It was a pity. He'd hoped she'd last longer, and prove some worth, or perhaps even a Captain's wife...

Rising again, he looked at the form with disgust.

"Cap'n?" The pirate said timidly. RedEye turned to him, with narrowed eyes.

"Leave her here." He finally said. "If she doesn't improve, wrap her in something and throw her over... I can't abide the living dead."

Thus said, he turned and left, anxious to leave the dark, shadowy walls and shapes of the below-deck galley. 

RedEye, was, after all, a very superstitious pirate.

*************

By the dawn of the third day, all of the crew was feeling the effects of hunger, exhaustion, and lost hope. They'd been rowing straight for three days, changing shifts every few hours. The boats were cramped, and there was no room for personal space, and all were squished together.

Link found himself constantly on edge from the closed in space around him, his natural claustrophobia wearing away at his nerves. He slept little, and when he did, it was only to see confusing images, vague and haunting, that forced him reeling back into consciousness. He took the watch mostly, and rowed when he could, but now, as the sun rose for the third time over their small band, he rose on stiff, shaky legs to walk carefully down the boat. Along the way, he accidentally stepped on several hands, legs, and a few heads, and received grumbled curses and threats.

"Sorry... sorry," He muttered, finally reaching the end of the boat. A few feet back, the second boat rowed, and took a stumbling leap, crashing into several of the sailors who had been sitting in the front of the boat, to the raised outrage of several. "Sorry about that!" He repeated again, carefully trying to weave his way down this boat also. When he had repeated this procedure several times, annoying a large amount of sailors and jumping many boats, he landed on the last boat, the supply boat, where only two sailors and Ichiro rode. 

Ichiro did not turn as he approached, but Link sat down, exhausted, next to him.

"Hey," He said, letting his legs dangle over the back of the boat. "Is it just me, or are you sick of this, too?"

"We're all sick of it." Ichiro growled, not turning. "I suggest you find some patience." That said, he fell silent. Link sighed, wishing once more that Saria was there, if only for the fact of her speaking skills. He heaved another sigh, and tipped his head back to observe the clear morning sky. After a few minutes, to his surprise, Ichiro spoke.

"Why did you come?" He said. 

Link turned in startlement. "What?" Ichiro turned to glare at him, his gray-blue eyes a steely tint. 

"Why the hell did you come? That Goddesses-be-Damned scholar, I understand, but you? You only get in the way."

Link stared at him for a few moments, his ire rising. "Look, I didn't choose to come!" He shot back. "I had _that _decided for me! Its not like I woke up one day and decided to go be a hero. You're wrong about me, Ichiro." The Chief looked away, and Link gritted his teeth. "I said you're wrong! Two months ago, I was just a guy working on a ranch, and now, all of a sudden, everyone expects more from me, like I'm some kind of warrior or something! I didn't ask for this!" 

Ichiro stood up suddenly, and turned to peer down at him.

"And you think anyone else did?" He growled. "Do you think anyone else was excited to realize we're on the brink of chaos? That our King and Queen are-" He turned away, cutting the sentence off, his face bitter. Link felt remorse, and he turned away also, letting his eyes rest on the horizon. It was a few more minutes before Ichiro spoke again.

"If you can't handle it, then when we hit land, you can leave my crew. You and that damned scholar, and the girl. Children and old men," He snapped. "You weren't made for fighting."

Link stood up beside him, but Ichiro kept his face turned towards the sun. Link felt shaky again, and his headache had returned.

"You're wrong about me, Ichiro." He heard himself say. The words had slipped out before he could stop them. "Not because I was made to fight... But because I choose to fight..."

Ichiro made no reply, and Link lapsed into silence, also, both taking a seat at the back of the boat again.

*************

It was sunset, the line of the horizon merging, before they saw there first sign of the new world they were embarking to.

Out of the darkness, came a single flicker of light, and the watch, perched in the prow of the first boat, called out in his bass voice. 

"**Light ho**!" 

The crew came to life. 

"Shut yer trap, ya fool!" The Captain hissed, pushing the hapless watch out of the way. "Do yer want 'em to know we're here?" All fell silent, and they peered into the darkness at the shadow form that was moving slowly towards them. 

"K'hoy!" 

The single cry came from the form ahead, and slowly, the shape of a small craft could be made out, containing around a dozen figures. The one who had spoken stood up in the boat, a flickering lamp held up in his hand. 

Link and Ichiro made there way across boats to sit by the Captain in the first. The Captain turned to them. 

"I think they be our resc' crew." He told them in a low voice. Ichiro nodded slowly, and then turned to Tappor, who had been watching in interest. 

"What did he say?" Ichiro shot back to him.

Tappor blinked. "You presume _me _to know? _I _came to determine the map. This language they speak will most likely be considered a dead language to us." 

Ichiro stared at him blankly for a moment, and then turned back to the Captain.

"Captain."

Link looked between each, and then impulsively stood up.

"Ahoy!" He shouted across the distance. Ichiro, swearing, grappled him around the legs and jerked him down. 

"You fool!" He hissed. "What if they were RedEye's men? Or other pirates?" He was interrupted by another cry from the approaching boat.

"K'hoy! K'hoy!"

Link and Ichiro looked at each other.

"It could be the translation of the equivalent nautical term." Tappor suggested in the following silence. 

"Either way," Link gritted, yanking himself out of the grasp Ichiro had of his collar. "We have to find out. Or else we're going to be stuck out here forever."

The Captain turned to the Chief in the growing dark.

"Wot do yer say, Chief?"

Ichiro's expression was cloaked by the night, but he sat stiffly in his seat.

"I suggest we go towards them." He said in a low voice. "But everyone, be ready with arms!" 

The soldiers and Guard alike nodded, and all braced themselves for the meeting of the two different parties.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimers? Ch. 1.   
I must admit I don't have WW yet, but I _did _play it at Best Buy (doesn't belong to me either) and I'm thinking on it. I have reservations, as I did with MM, and MM turned out to be a pretty mediocre deal. Anybody have an opinion on it one way or the other?

Ch. 25

The good die first

And they whose hearts are dry as summer dust

Burn to the socket.

-William Wordsworth

Zelda woke to the now-familiar sounds of the wretched slave who slept in the corner of her room. 

His body was frail, his flesh waxy and color-less. Her heart ached just looking at him, and for the third time, she tried to get his attention. Rising from the hard bed she'd drifted away on, Zelda gathered the aggravating folds of her dress into her arms, and advanced towards him carefully. He looked up slowly, blinking. His eyes had sunk into his skull from emaciation, and both were glazed and dulled. 

"Hello," Zelda said softly, kneeling by him. Aside from the crosshatches of old scars on his chest and arms, his upper torso was bare of even hair. Achromatic, she realized. _Albino_. 

She reached out a hand, now shaky from the lack of food, like his was, and touched his sunken cheek bone. 

He flinched, and dark, dead eyes flicked away. He hung his head, resting his skeletal arms back on the drab, faded trousers he wore. 

She drew her arm back with a sigh, angry. They had no right to do this to them. To _anyone_! 

Wherever they were was far away, that much she could tell from her two captors, and she had to wonder if there were any other Hylians imprisoned here. Everything was foreign to her, their language, their facial appearance, their lifestyle. It was all new, and not for once did she wish that her kingdom had held more contact with outside lands. 

Zelda rose from her crouch, and began to pace around the room, thinking. After only a few minutes, a faint knock sounded on the door, and she turned to look at it in surprise.

The knocking halted, and a moment later, the door opened slowly.

Juno peek around the door, his bright blue eyes taking in the room before they rested on her, and he grinned. He stepped inside, and carefully closed the door behind him, only sparing a confused look at the slave before stepping towards her.

"I didn't know he was in here." Juno told her. "But I won't leave him to bother you."

Zelda felt a sudden twist of hate and disgust well up, but she forcefully pushed it down, masking her features in a blank look, honed from years of royal parties and courts. She wasn't sure of what he was saying, but he had looked towards the slumped form of the albino Hylian, and stooped to grasp him roughly.

"No!" Zelda suddenly cried, then jerked back in horror. However, he only turned in surprise, leaving the slave where he lay.

"...N'o...?" The blue-eyed youth said, curiously. He stepped forward again, and Zelda took a step back, tripping over her torn dress and stumbling. He was at her side instantly, taking her arm gently. She jerked away again, now knowing she couldn't hide her disgust for him. His gentle, serene face expressed confusion, and Zelda wondered in bewilderment how a monster could lurk behind the golden curls and soft features. 

"Leave me." She said, pulling herself up to look down her nose at him. 

He said something in his language, his features remaining the same, and she felt like giving up. She turned away from him, showing in body-language that she did not acknowledge his presence.

Juno sighed, unhappily, and turned to leave. He wrinkled his nose at the slave, slumped at the door, but walked past, and closed the door behind himself gently.

After a heartbeat, Zelda crumpled to the floor, dropping her face into her hands in defeat.

*************

Juno entered the double-doors, sighing as he walked. Kafka looked up from the scroll he was addressing, and watched his brother in amusement.

The light-haired youth collapsed into a wide, cushioned chair, and planted the tip of Domination into the carpet, holding the pommel of the hilt with a finger and spinning the blade with swipes of his other hand. Kafka twirled the quill in his hand, and smirked at his brother.

"Well," He finally said. "What did our lovely cat have to say?"

Juno looked up in annoyance. "Did you tell them to put that monster in there with her?" He asked, frowning. Kafka nodded, shrugging.

"I figured she'd what something to play with. You know how animals are... who knows when her mating season is..." He joked, a sly grin on his face. He stopped however, when the clatter of the turning blade stopped, and looked up. Juno's face was flushed, his brow furrowed. 

"She isn't an animal!" He retorted, clenching his fists.

Kafka hesitated, then shrugged, beginning to spin his quill again. "So, has she a name?" 

It threw Juno from his anger, and he paused, thoughtful. "She doesn't know our language. All I got from her was some word... I think its means 'no'."

Kafka let a smirk flit across his dark features, but said nothing. Juno missed it, and continued.

"I think she's unhappy-"

"Clever," Kafka cut in. Juno frowned.

"Not like that... I mean, of course she's unhappy... But I think she's unhappy in her room. I don't think she's going to cooperate."

Kafka idly twirled the long-feather quill, dipping it into ink to scrawl another line onto the scroll. Juno leaned forward.

"What is that?" He finally asked.

Kafka put the quill down, and cracked his knuckles. 

"A message for our friend in K'Gar."

"A warning."

"Exactly." Kafka said, narrowing his eyes. "He wants to play the game of deceit. Well, two can play at that game..."

"Two?"

"Two. You're my brawn."

"Are you saying I'm stupid?" Juno asked, coming to kneel over the scroll to read it as it dried. 

"No." Kafka responded, stretching back in his chair as his brother finished reading. "Only that you serve a much, much better purpose in being brawn. I'm thinking big, my brother."

"How big?" Juno looked up finally, meeting his brother's eyes. This time, it was Kafka who had to look away from bright, wide blue. 

"Land big. Conquering big. Like our father before us."

"But Majora failed." Juno countered. 

"That's because he was a fool... They're all fools, you see. Reckless, power hungry fools. But you and I, we stop each other from being fools; keep each other in check. Its perfection; a balance. Together, we are unstoppable."

"You want to get that place, Hyrule, after all." Juno realized. "Why? Because of that magic?"

"Too many questions," Kafka sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Give _me _some answers."

Juno took a seat at the table beside him, and thought for a moment.

"Mijjori and Hyrule are cut off from each other," His finally said. "They wouldn't know how to react to each other. That means, since we went there, we have an advantage."

"Exactly." Kafka grinned, setting his booted feet up on the table. 

"And if we have Hyrule, and all of its magic, it guarantees us Mijjori through blood... It means we'll have strongholds on two different fronts."

Kafka looked at him in surprise. "Good idea." He said. "That's what I need you for. You have military popularity, and tactical skills..." He trailed off, and mused farther. "And with our guest, the Princess, we have another one up on them. Hmm, that old bastard has unknowingly given us a valuable piece in the game."

He laughed softly to himself, a jarring sound. Juno took the newly-dried map, and rolled it up, summoning a servant to deliver it to the Temple in K'Gar, where their guest, the deadly stranger, was staying. 

*************

This time, when the door opened, there was no knock, and Zelda was forced to stand up abruptly from where she had lain on the cold, stone floor.

It was the other brother. They were twins, that much she could tell. But not identical. This one was somehow darker, colder, sharper, than the one who had visited before. Where the blond youth had wide, blue eyes, soft blond hair, and a more muscular physique, this one had black hair and deep, coal eyes. He was not as muscular, but more trim and athletic, his eyes seemed perpetually narrowed, and he was not apt to smiling, it seemed.

Zelda backed away, although not so much out of fear. Although this brother seemed to physically embody evil, she wasn't as wary as him as she was of his brother. Here, she saw wit, and control. 

He came forward several feet, not even bothering to glance at the slave slumped at the door, and held up a hand. Zelda flinched, but he only brought it to his chest, which he thumped.

"K'Lorn Kafka." 

His name. 

Or title.

Or both.

Zelda, taught in the ways of self-control and high-born will, was not to be intimidated. She held a slim hand out, still covered in a velvet white glove, though it had long since been soiled in her parents' blood. She brought the hand to her collar-bone, and tapped it serenely.

"Princess Zelda." She said, calmly.

The youth smirked, an unkind look. He made an approving sound, and folded his arms behind his back to circle her the way an artist must circle an interesting piece of art. 

"Z'lda." He finally said, and she started in surprise. _He knew the difference in title_, she realized. He approved also of her surprise, and the smirk fell from his face. He finally stopped pacing, and turned to speak.

"Kafka." She interrupted, meeting his eyes daringly. 

Kafka's eyes widened momentarily, and then narrowed. She was quick. Damn quick. Even now he could see the that she didn't inherit her throne with blood alone. And she was no longer afraid. 

"I fear, _Princess_ Zelda, that because of the language difference, there may be some trouble in our communication. I ask you to bear with me, and have some patience." He grinned, flashing pearly teeth. "We're all new at this."

She didn't understand any of the words, only that his confidence was immeasurable, and there was no kindness in his face, like his brother seemed to possess. 

"Let's start with some simple terms that I think you'll understand," Kafka said, continuing. "First, there's the issue of your land, Hyrule..."

Zelda's eyes flicked up at the familiar word. 

"...And the fact that it could provide my dear kin and I with a good starting point for our plans. Oh, I know everyone speaks of 'domination', and 'conquering', and no one seems to achieve it, but I plan to."

She caught words here and there in his speech that were familiar, but common sense told her they were most likely tricks of sound.

"I don't know what you're saying," Zelda finally cut in, lifting her chin again to look imperiously down her nose at him. "But I'll have you know that whatever you plan to do will be a waste of time. The land of Hyrule has felt the cold touch of evil before; and it has conquered it."

Kafka recognized the tone of voice, and the smirk dropped from his lips.

"There you go again with that haughty tone, cat." He said, his voice dropping to a deadly pitch. "You're threatening me, no doubt, with empty words and promises." He laughed. "But remember that I went to your castle, I met your soldiers, and met your sorcerers... I met your King and Queen. And where are they all now? Dead. Of their own stupidity."

Zelda felt a shiver down her spine, and abruptly, a faint tingle seemed to shoot back up it. Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening, and she tucked her hands into her dress folds, falling back and away from Kafka with a cry. His eyes widened slightly, and he let her fall back, hitting the floor. She sat up, wincing, her eyes suddenly an intense cobalt blue.

"Your hand," Kafka growled. She stared at him. He held out his own hand, pointing at her's. "Give me your hand!" Very timidly, she brought her left hand out, and let him see it. Quickly, he lunged for the still hidden right one, and wrestled it from its hiding place.

"No!" Zelda cried, trying to pull it back. It was too late, though, and Kafka saw the brightly glowing symbol on her hand.

"The symbol!" He hissed, twisting her arm painfully to see it. Zelda averted her face, dropping a blank mask over her features. 

There was an abrupt banging on the door, and it was kicked inward to admit Juno, who leapt in, the sword, Domination, held loosely clasped in his left hand. He took in the scene, and looked at his brother.

"What's going on?" Juno asked. "I heard her cries!" 

Kafka dropped her now-limp hand, and stood, running a hand through his short, feathery hair. 

"She has the same symbol." He hissed. "The same as the old man's! Three triangles, made into a pyramid." 

Juno lay his blade aside, and raced in to kneel by the Princess's side.

"Are you all right?" He asked, trying to help her up. Zelda suddenly seemed to come out of her trance, and looked up at him. She took one look at his worried features, and tugged her arm out of his grip, pulling herself up. Juno caught sight of the flashing insignia on her hand, and reached out to grab her wrist. "You're right!" He breathed, "It's the same thing-"

The symbol suddenly flashed searingly, and he was thrown back to hit the wall by an abrupt, invisible force. 

Kafka's eyes widened, and he looked at her carefully.

Flickering in and out of his view, there came a solid barrier that encompassed her whole body. It was transparent, and azure blue. 

"Damn... Magic." He was able to say, before Zelda stretched out her hands, palms up, and the whole room filled with a brilliant white light. 

*************

Juno came sliding around the corner just as a servant started to approach at the piercing white light that filtered briefly down the hallways. He darted around the servant, and raced past. The servant peered around the corner towards the imprisoned Princess' chamber, but saw nothing else but Domination, leaning against the 'sill.

Abruptly, another shape came out, this time Kafka, clutching at his face with one hand. The servant jogged forward, and supported his master.

"Lord!" He cried. 

Kafka jerked away, and removed his hand from his face, blinking rapidly. 

"_Damn it_!" He shouted. His eyes focused, and he spotted the servant waiting anxiously at his side. "Send a message to every wing, to every guard! I want all exits sealed!" 

The servant nodded quickly, and darted away to fulfill the task. 

Kafka gritted his teeth, and looked down the hallway that Juno had taken. 

************* 

Juno chased the orb of light down the hallway, through the main dining room, into the kitchens, and finally out of the fortress. The bright light soared far ahead of him, but in his sheer stubbornness he would not give up. 

He raced down the descending, rocky stairway, and onto the flat, dark-graveled beach. After another distance, the light disappeared, and he scrabbled to a stop among the craggy boulders and stones lying along the beach.

"No..." He panted, peering off into the distance. He ground his teeth, and with a cry, drove his fist into a nearby rock. Thin hairline cracks appeared in the rock, extending under the force. Easing back up, he looked to see his brother, walking swiftly down the steep, stone-way towards him. He met him halfway back.

"She's gone." Juno said, in a subdued voice. 

Kafka was spitting mad.

"And the slave, too." He raged. 

"What are we going to do?" Juno finally asked, the first to calm down again. Kafka's face twisted with anger, but suddenly the feeling dispersed, and his shoulders slumped with a sigh. 

"She's weak." He finally said. "She can't have gone far... The problem, of course, is that if anyone sees her, and realizes we've been keeping her here, then we'll be brought before the Court." The same court their father had stood before years ago, and had been condemned by. 

"We'll find her." Juno spoke up. "We can send horsemen out."

Kafka muttered something under his breath. He finally turned to head back towards the fortress.

"You left your blade laying out on the floor like a toy." He said quietly as they walked shoulder-to-shoulder back towards the double-doors of the building.

"I was trying to catch her." Juno responded. 

"Even so."

"You don't have the sword of Command with you." 

Kafka blinked, and then narrowed his eyes. "That's different."

"How?"

"Zelda."

"What?"

"That's her name. Since you couldn't do a simple thing like get her title from her, I had to go and do it myself. She calls herself Princess Zelda."

"Wouldn't she be Queen now?" Juno asked, clasping his hands behind his neck. He yawned, tired from the activities of the day.

Kafka made no response to the question, his cold, unreadable gaze far away.

They finally reached the double-doors, where the servant from before met them. Juno bade him shut and lock the door behind them, and he did so, closing out the weak sunlight that shone through the dark, dreary storm clouds high above.


	26. Chapter 26

Disc. = Ch. 1  
All right, next chapter! Seems a little longer than usual... Thanks to all of my loyal reviewers! You're comments keep me going. 

Ch. 26

When the snows begin, and the blasts denote

I am nearing that place,

The power of the night, the press of the storm,

The post of the foe;

-Robert Browning

A hand, large and rough, reached out to grasp the first boat's side, and Link almost jumped in surprise. 

After the night's thick fog rolled in, it had been impossible to see ahead of them, and their contact, aside from distant voices, had been cut off. Now, the light that the strangers carried cut through the thick moist air at close range. 

"Steady," Link heard Ichiro murmur to the Guard. Behind him, in the dark, they sat ready, perched with weapons, for a battle. 

Abruptly, another hand reached out to grasp their boatside, and a form pulled itself across crafts to land in the front seat beside the Captain.

Captain One-Eyed Deadleg blinked in surprise at the sudden action, and the Guard and sailors alike bristled for a fight.

"K'hoy." The shadowy stranger said simply, and held out a hand to clasp. The Captain paused for a moment, and then grasped the smaller hand in his own beefy grip. 

"Harr, I sur'pose that means _ahoy_," The Captain greeted, shaking the hand. All present relaxed a little from the strain, and Ichiro teetered forward on the boat to take a seat next to the apparent leader.

"Do you understand us?" He said slowly. 

The stranger shook his head, and shrugged. 

Ichiro cursed under his breath. Link took the opportunity to scoot over near the stranger, and stick out his own hand to be shooken.

"Link," He said slowly. The larger hand came out again and grasped his, and he almost winced at the strong grip. The man took his hand away to thump his chest with, and produced what Link decided must have been his name, also. The name was quickly pronounced, and it sounded strange to his ears. 

"I'm afraid I'm no translator," Tappor spoke up. "But I have been learned in the art of body language and hand-face terminology." He looked to Ichiro, and received a nod. After space was made for him, he took a seat by the leader, and held out both hands. He turned his palms upward, and flattened them out, presenting them. The leader's shadowy face was unreadable, but he scratched his head for a moment, thoughtful. He finally reached out a large hand, and held it over Tappor's, pretending to grasp something from it. He held the imaginary object up, seemed to study it, and then tossed it out into the air. Tappor made an excited sound, and nodded. He turned back to the Captain.

"It was he, or his own leader, who received our message for assistance. It seems he also knew how to respond. I believe this means they are a magic-bearing race."

A low murmur set up from the sailors, and the Captain cursed them into silence again. Ichiro turned to Tappor.

"Well? Can they help us?"

Tappor blinked. "I assume that's why they are here."

"They must have been sent out to meet us," Link suggested. "Maybe they have a ship somewhere." 

Tappor turned back to the silently watching stranger, and made several more hand gestures, one resembling something floating on a rocky surface. This time, the leader nodded much more quickly, and responded by pointing in the opposite direction from where they had come. 

"Ship?" Tappor asked, making the moving gesture from before. 

"...Shhhhhhh'p." Their guest finally pronounced, making the same gesture.

"Wonderful!" Tappor exclaimed, clapping his hands together. Link felt his shoulders relax, released from the tension of the long days stranded on boats. Ichiro also seemed to breath an almost sigh of relief. He turned to the Captain.

"Well?"

The Captain tugged on his beard, and squinted at them all in the dark.

"Well, 'earken. 'Pears ta me that we've only one choice 'mongst us, men." He turned to the silently waiting stranger. "Lad, if ye've got a way, then take us!"

Tappor turned to the stranger, and simply nodded. The figure nodded back, and rose to leap back into his own boat. He turned, and in the torchlight, made a gesture for them to follow. The sailors took up the oars again, and they were off.

*************

Morning came quickly for the two different groups. The boats carrying the crew of the _New Dawn_ followed at a small distance behind the two medium-sized keel boats bearing their rescue crew. Link sat in the prow of Ichiro and the Captain's boat, his nerves on edge from the tedious wait. Up ahead, the sea was calm and flat, and he couldn't imagine how the strangers could help them any. He was sore, and exhausted: testaments from the battle with the sea monster, and with the worry for Saria. It wore away at his reserves, and he found his shoulders slumping towards mid-day.

Ichiro, who had joined the leader of their guests on one of the larger keel boats, came back towards sunset, and took a seat by the Captain. Tappor and Link joined them, and Ichiro mapped out a plan.

The blinding light faded slowly, the landscape gradually returning to its natural brightness. Nature, which had ceased its very livelihood in the face of powerful magic, finally began to start up again, strange, beautiful birds resuming their songs, wind playing timidly through the trees. As the light faded, so too did the shadow surrounding the form, suspended in mid-air. 

The slave, its body trembling under the sunlight and fresh air, slumped in the tall grasses, silently watching the figure's descent back to the ground. It landed gently, curling up into a ball. He watched it nervously, waiting for it to move. 

It didn't.

He rose slowly, shakily, and began to limp forwards, towards the still form, lying in the high, swaying grasses. He shouldn't be afraid of her. After all, she was a slave, too. But all of the other prisoners had treated him like lowly scum, kicking him around every chance they had. However, she was different. He could feel it. Something was familiar about her... her features...

The form stirred, and he fell back, a pure bolt of fear shooting through him. As he hit the ground, he saw the strange figure start to rise, and cowered, covering his pale head with thin, frail arms. 

*************

She rose stiffly, letting her heightened senses come alive, first. The wind blew steadily from a southern direction, bringing new and different scents to. Her eyes saw far, taking up the wild, rocky landscape she'd landed them in. A painful sensation caught her attention, and she glanced down at her hand. A hand wrapped in rags, concealing a golden symbol, burning fiercely underneath. The sensation came back to her, and she embraced it, knowing that it was time to once again take charge....

Sheik resituated the rags draped over his clothing, refitting the cloth covering his face snugly . His senses told him that nearby he could find an establishment of some kind. A house, perhaps, by the faint smell of fresh milk and sun-warmed clothing, laid out to dry. He turned carefully, and took in the sight at his feet. The gaunt and pathetic looking Hylian slave cringed as he laid a hand upon its back.

"Rise up." Sheik spoke, his voice soft and melodious. 

The slave slowly lifted his head and blinked, blearily, at the strange figure standing above him. 

Peculiar red eyes met his own, and he gazed, wide-eyed, reaching out a hand automatically to be pulled up. 

"What's your name?" Sheik asked, using the same, vibrant tone as before. The slave stared at him. 

"Urk-" He wheezed, trying to reclaim the voice that had left him so long ago.

Sheik waited patiently. 

"Ur-... Ur... R... K..k..."

The strange young man nodded, encouraging him. He tried again, straining.

"Koh... Koh... J... Koh...j..."

"Kohj?"

"Kohj...jee... Kohj...ee..."

"Koji? Is there more?"

The slave seemed at loss, and then slowly frowned, his faced creased with exhaustion. Sheik shook his head.

"No matter. That will do." He took the slave's arm, ignoring the cringe, and put it over his shoulder, shifting until he had effectively transferred most of the weight to himself. "There is a house near. We are going there for help. Can you walk?"

The slave, overwhelmed, merely nodded, and allowed the strange, quiet young man to support him as they walked. 

*************

RedEye made his way down the walkway almost reluctantly. He expected the girl's condition to be no different. It had been three days since she had slipped into the deep, cursed sleep, and he could do nothing to rouse her. It seemed as though she had reached her limit in captivity, and had simply slipped into oblivion. His face fell into a grimace as he turned to corner, and saw her laid out on the mess table. 

The ship's healer, who had been standing over her, shaking his head, looked up in surprise. 

"Capt'n," He started. "I didn't see ya there... The lass is still sleepin' fitfully. Don't think there's gonna be any more change-"

"Fine," RedEye interrupted curtly. "Call in three men to wrap her up."

"Wrap 'er up?" The healer echoed, his face creasing into dismay. "But-"

"Do it," The angry captain snapped. The healer nodded, and left quickly. RedEye watched him go, and then turned back to the sleeping form. He walked up to the girl, and folded his arms behind his back. "Too bad," He muttered to himself, a scowl on his face. "You _are_ a rare, wild sort of beauty, but alas, beauty fades, especially with corpses." He turned away, and idly stepped over to the small bow someone had hung on a rope rung. The quiver, empty and collapsed, lay on a supply box a few feet away. RedEye took both of them from their places, and took a seat on the box to study them. The bow was of Deku wood, he recognized its special coloring and strength quickly. But where would a girl like that get a bow of Deku wood? Deku products, like staffs, bedframes, doors, and cabinets, were expensive, but available. A Deku weapon, however, was a rare artifact. A Kokiri artifact.

Hmm.

*************

The sea went on, its rhythmic splashing and sloshing lulling him into a light stupor. He felt the sunlight on his face, warming him. It was nice to be out on such a nice day. Nice to be out and about, doing something. It was so different out here, not so much worry, not so much trouble... Less chance of surprise, because there wasn't anywhere to hide. 

Link yawned, stretching out a little bit more. This was truly the life for him. No worries, no cares. No fights, no trouble... No swords... Well, his sword, but that was all right, he wasn't going to use it. Besides, he didn't need to. There was no danger to watch for, nothing to guard against... 

Link...

His eyes snapped open, and he sat up. The sand around him had risen higher, covering his submerged legs. He shook it from his legs and tunic, and rose, staring around wildly at the strange trees and shore. 

Don't... Don't...

__

"Saria..." He mumbled, taking a few shaky steps forward. This was by far the strangest of the illusions. Yes, just an illusion... not real.He shook his head to clear the strange scene before him, but it would not fade, and he whirled around as the warm sea-breeze seemed to whisper to him.

_Beware the sun._

He glanced up towards the sun in confusion. "The sun? How? The sun is just-" 

High above, almost invisible against the bright orb's fire, he saw a shape, long and sinuous, collecting like a dark cloud. Link felt a cold fear shoot through him, and instinctively took a step back. The surf and sun of paradise was gone, and he was stumbling, back, back, into the clouded, murky waters...

Link reeled out of sleep, crying out in surprise, as the world suddenly shifted, and he found himself looking up into the late-night sky. He was temporarily blinded, so great the difference of light and dark, and he rubbed his eyes to see again. In the darkness, a hand reached out, and grasped his shoulder.

"Belay matey, are ya well?" 

Link jumped under the contact, and blinked, straining his eyes to see into the fresh darkness. The sailor who had grasped his shoulder retracted his hand, and Link nodded.

"I'm... I'm fine. Just... a bad dream." _I pray to the Goddesses that's all it was..._

He sighed, and pulled off his hood, running a hand through flattened hair. It refused to stand up, though, and he left it alone, situating the cap back on his head. His eyes had finally adjusted to the dark, and he watched the sailor nod. 

"Times'r'tough fer lads like yerself, cully. I don' b'lieve the seas any place fer farmboys, tho', yer much 'preciated. Only, I'd wish yer'd be back in a good bunk somewheres, instead'o 'ere, 'avin' to sit an' 'ear an old dog like meself, yakkin' away at t' moon."

Link was oddly touched by the gruff statement, and shook his head.

"No, I'm glad I'm here. Sailors _or_ farmboys, we're all here for the same cause, right? No sense in regretting things... Here, give me that paddle. I think it's my turn now."

The sailor chuckled, and scooted out of the way, allowing Link to take his position. 

"No skin off my back if yer wan't ta go and break yor arms on that, messmate." He warned, grinning at the youth's show of enthusiasm.

"No problem," Link gritted out, pulling the surprisingly heavy and resistant oar around to cut through the water. The sailor laughed, and took up Link's earlier spot, wrapping a cape around himself to keep warm. 

"Keep that paddlin' up, me bucko. I'm gonna try for sum shuteye."

Link nodded, concentrating on not tearing his arms out of their sockets while rowing. The other three sailors rowing on the boat called out helpful hints every once in a while, and Link sooner or later began to get a feel for the toil.

*************

The girl on the porch, sweeping diligently away at any gathered dirt, took one quick glance at the approaching figures, and dropped the broom. She raced inside, and returned a moment later with her father, who had been smoking his afternoon pipe. The elder Majjorian squinted at the horseback riders coming towards his house, and then ushered his daughter in. He stepped down from the porch, and came out to meet them on the dusty rockway.

The head rider halted his mount by the farmer's side, and looked down.

"The Sirs of Majora's Keep are looking for two persons, hence, I will describe them for you." He pulled a thin scroll from his belt, and unrolled it, reading it off. "One person, skin of a translucent white and pointed ears, is of a thin, skeletal build, and is male. The other person, of fair skin and pointed ears, is of an average, lean build, and is female. The latter person, who has long, yellow gold-colored hair, and sky-blue eyes, may or may not be in a dress. Both persons do not speak intelligible language, and are considered to be savages, and dangerous. If you are to see them, notify a horsemen of Majora's Keep immediately, and help will be sent to suppress and retake them." The horsemen rolled the scroll back up, and nodded curtly. 

The farmer nodded back. "If I see them, then I will do as much." 

He watched the horsemen turn away, and kept his watch until they disappeared over the hilly rise, towards the distant snow-capped mountains. 

"Da!" A voice called, and he turned back towards the house to see his daughter jogging towards him, her plain wool dress swishing against her calf-high boots. 

"S'Lora!" Her father said firmly. "Did I not make so plain to you, some moments ago, that I did not want you out here now?" 

"But I reply, then, that they are not here anymore, da!" She cried, coming up to stand by him. He was about to reprimand her, but sighed, and gave up, turning to look towards the hill the riders had disappeared over. His daughter looked at him anxiously. "What, when they came, did they want? Each one, man and horse, was of Majora's Keep, were they not?" He nodded, and turned to start back towards their house, where his wife was already stand in the doorway worriedly. 

"They both, as I stand here, were from that very place." He sighed, bading her to follow him. She hesitated for a moment, bright eyes far away on the distant mountain peaks, before turning to jog after him. 

*************

An hour after the riders had taken the same route, Sheik and the freed slave, Koji, mounted the hill sloping down towards the homey looking cottage. Smoke rose in a thin stream from the chimney on the roof, and around the house, cuckoo-like birds hopped about, scratching at the dirt. The former slave groaned, slipping towards the ground. Sheik caught the exhausted Hylian again, and lifted him to his feet. 

"Come," He said softly, "It isn't far now." He flicked his eyes up at the sound of a door swinging shut, and spotted a figure on the porch, looking out in another direction. Sheik re-wrapped the Hylian's frail arm around his neck, and supported him down the gentle hill, towards the house. After they had moved closer, the figure finally turned, and spotted them. The girl, for that was what it was, started in surprise, and froze. She stayed glued to the spot until they had almost reached the porch, before turning and racing into the house, calling out to someone within. Sheik stopped again at the porch, and let Koji lean against the railing. It took several minutes for the farmer to appear, this time with a rusty old fencing sword gripped shakily in his nerveless hands.

"Who, as you stand, be you?" He called out as gruffly as possible. Already he recognized the one leaning against his porch as the skinny male the horsemen had spoken of. But the figure was worse than he had thought. It would have almost been monstrous in appearance if he hadn't recognized the malnutrition, whip marks, and abuse inflicted upon its frame. He knew the signs.

Sheik stepped forward. 

"I am Sheik, the last of the Sheikahs. And this is Koji, a former slave. We wish to seek refuge in your home." Sheik was aware, even as he spoke, that the man could not understand any of his words. Nor could he understand the man's. Instead, he turned to sign language, and held out his bandaged hands, palm up, to signify peace.

The farmer had lived a hard life, and had seen many things. He was not fooled by the horsemen, or the two seeming beggars at his porch. Neither of the two before him were of his race, and it made a slight shiver go down his spine. However, he was no friend of the infamous sons of Majora, the two dangerous youths who lived at the keep just north of his land. Hesitating only for a moment, he gave a silent prayer up to the Gods, and stepped aside, motioning for the two to enter. Sheik bowed low, and turned to help Koji up from his stoop against the porch. The two stepped inside the farmhouse, and the farmer, his eyes nervous, closed the door solidly behind them.

Towards sunset, Link caught sight of a dark smudge on the horizon, steady and unmoving. He pointed it out to Ichiro. 

"What do you think it is?"

Ichiro squinted out over the water, frowning. "Its big, whatever it is. Maybe an island."

"Tis no island." The Captain muttered, tugging his beard. "She's movin'."

"Moving?" Tappor asked. He wiped the sea-spray from his spectacles, and donned them, peering out into the dying sunlight. "How can you tell?"

"I c'n tell." Deadleg answered, folding his beefy arms over his chest. Link looked at him. 

"But you said _she_. 'She' as in a ship?"

"Aye," The Captain responded, giving him a gruff look. 

"Then that's the biggest damned ship I've ever seen," Ichiro growled, moving forward to sit at the prow. "It must be our rendezvous."

"They really make ships that big?" Link asked in awe. Deadleg shrugged. 

"In some places, lad. Not in 'Yrule anymore, mind yer. End o' the ship ind'stry mean' there were no more reas'ns ter have 'em. The _New Dawn _was the bigges', bless 'er." He sniffed. He fell silent, and the rest followed his example. They all sat forward, strained, ready, for better or worse, to see what dawn would bring.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimers are in Chapter 1.   
Here we are again! Didn't expect to see Sheik around again, didja? Its amazing who pops up in this story at odd times. Sheik, a pirate who's *rumored* to be the child of a Gerudo, the Cuckoo Lady's brother, the *sons* of *Majora*... Well well well. 

Ch. 27

There was a child went forth every day,

And the first object he looked upon,

that object he became...

-Walt Whitman

"Steady, as you eat," The farmer warned. Koji looked up at him blankly, and then to Sheik. Sheik had gotten the gist of the statement. 

"Too much food after so long a time. Please eat slowly, my friend. You will gain your strength soon enough." 

Koji dropped the food obediently, and slumped back in his chair, looking chastened. The farmer's wife, a simple, kind woman, would have none of it, however. 

"Oh hush, my husband, in your statement!" She chided. Bringing around a hot platter, she placed another small bread loaf on the ex-slave's plate. "Do enjoy the food, which I have placed in front of you, as much as you please!" Koji looked at Sheik in confusion. Sheik shook his head.

"Do not look to me for permission, Koji. You are again your own master."

The ex-slave stared at him for several seconds, his expression disbelieving. Then, suddenly, he relaxed, his thin shoulders drooping, as though a great burden had been lifted. Shakily, he reached a pale, bony hand forward, and picked up the fresh loaf. 

The farmer's daughter, S'Lora, who had been sneaking glances at Sheik every once in awhile, finally spoke up.

"Where, when you came, did you journey from?" She bravely addressed the stranger. Sheik's eyes flicked over to her, and she felt herself blush slightly under the handsome stranger's red eyes. 

He couldn't understand the question, and shook his head to show this. She looked at her father, and frowned.

"He doesn't speak our language, that is of our land, da. He, as he sits, must be an outsider." The farmer nodded soberly.

"It's no small wonder, as I see it, that the horsemen came, across the land, looking for them. The sons of Majora, powerful and mysterious, live up to the name of their father greatly." He turned to his left, and swore an oath: tradition when a man was speaking of the infamous Majora.

Sheik had caught the name Majora, and he now watched the farmer's movements closely. Majora. It was the title he'd heard associated with the two boys he'd only recently escaped from. It seemed they were not favored.

"Majora," He said softly, catching their attention. "Kafka and Juno."

"That's right, as you speak it," The farmer nodded. "Kafka and Juno, both, are the sons of Majora." 

"They're evil, as they breathe," The farmer's daughter blurted out. She fidgeted weakly under her father's stern gaze. 

"Watch, as you speak, what you say," Her father said curtly. "Though the names, Kafka and Juno, are not revered, neither, as you say them, are they defaced." S'Lora nodded, casting her gaze to the table. He turned to Sheik.

"My name, as I was titled, is Ru'Tl." He tapped his chest as he said it, and looked at Sheik expectantly. 

Sheik understood the meaning. "Sheik," He said clearly. Koji looked between them, and then spoke up in a quavering voice.

"K...Koji."

"Sh'k and K'jee." He said, nodding. "Foreign, as I sit here." He stated matter-of-factly. 

"I, as I was titled, am S'Lora." The girl across from Sheik said suddenly. Sheik and Koji turned to her, and the red-eyed man nodded. She smiled weakly at him, and then turned to her father.

"Should I, as the meal is ended, find a place for them?" Her father turned in surprise, but his wife was quicker.

"Of course they will stay, as you spoke, daughter! Neither, since they came, have offered us harm. And they, as they sit, are of poor health, the dears!" The farmer heaved a sigh, and glanced at his cheery wife.

"They, though you speak true, will bring the forces of Majora, to the north, down on our heads." 

"Nonsense, as you speak it!" His wife tsked. "To the north, as you said, there _is_ no Majora! Now come, from your seat, and help me with these dishes!"

The farmer huffed, but rose from his seat, good-naturedly helping his wife. "To the guest room, for them, I say!" He told his daughter, giving her a stern look. "And be careful, as you go!"

"Yes, da!" She answered in an unusual shortening of sentence. Her father gave her a look, but she had already risen to bade Sheik and Koji follow her.

*************

The horsemen returned at sunset to the keep, stepping into the main chamber to make their report.

"Neither the female, in dress and blue eyed, nor the slave, of skeletal frame and white skin, have been reported by the farmers."

"The farmers," Kafka murmured angrily to himself. He dismissed the hunters, except for the leader, and shifted restlessly. As if the farmers would be eager to tell them anything. He looked moodily to Juno, who was pacing back and forth on the thread-bare carpet making up the only decoration in the stone-walled room. "The farmers would like to see us squirm."

Juno looked up, and met his gaze. "Perhaps they're being harbored in a farmhouse. A princess and a slave would be able to get anyone's sympathy, I bet."

Kafka sighed, and collapsed into his newly polished throne. "So true, brother. This means, of course, that we'll have to raid every single farmstead from here to the Lak'nod river."

Juno shrugged. "They can't have gotten past there on foot." Kafka nodded, his thoughts far away. The golden haired brother turned to the waiting leader of the hunting party. "Take a brigade to every farmhouse and search them. Leave no building, no matter how small it is, unchecked."

"My lord," The horseman bowed. 

After he had left, Kafka rose to join his brother in a restless walk. 

"Word of this can't reach that bastard in K'Gar," He growled. "We have to make him think we're still in the damn game."

"K'Gar is a big city," Juno said, stopping in the middle of the chamber. "We always have some sort of traveler from there coming here."

"Then we have to keep this tight under wraps," Kafka snapped. "Gossip will be our downfall."

"How many people know about the Princess?" Juno asked, turning to look at him. Kafka stopped, and shook his head.

"Too many. The servants, the slaves, the horsemen." He folded his arms over his chest, and tipped his head forward in furious thinking. Juno sighed, and made his way towards the throne, where he had laid the blade of Domination. He took it up, and laid the heavy flat of the blade against his shoulder, walking back over to his brother. Kafka, who had kept the sword of Command at his side, looked up. "What? You have an idea?"

Juno nodded. "But... It doesn't have anything to do with getting them back."

Kafka's shoulders slumped. "Then what the hell is it for?"

Juno shrugged. "I think its time we went along with our plans. You said yourself you thought someone would try and rescue the princess. If they came by ship, they should be pretty close by now."

His brother looked at him in surprise. "Damn, I had forgotten... You're right. We have to proceed as if nothing has happened. There are, however, several port cities." He frowned. "Which one would they come in at?"

"That's easy," Juno smiled. "We just go and see some of the Captains in each port. One of them has probably reported seeing a strange, unidentified ship, right?"

Kafka let his features twist into a smirk. He slowly nodded. "That, my brother, is why there are two of us. We are the ultimate weapon." 

*************

The first streaks of dawn graced the sky in shades of orange and pink. It transformed the gray sea into a myriad of dancing colors, and Link, shooken awake to take watch, was able to admire it. 

It was the only thing he could admire about sleeping in a keel boat. The space was always crowded, and the rock of the water had nothing to take the shock of it but his body. Link sat up stiffly, and yawned, stretching his arms out. Ichiro ducked his left arm, and narrowed his eyes.

"Watch where you swing your arms, kid. Somebody may take offense."

Link blinked, and looked over at him. "Sorry," He said sheepishly. "Its so packed, my shoulders are stiff."

Ichiro frowned, not having expected an apology, and shrugged. "We're all stiff. Live with it."

Link nodded, not bothering to argue, and let his gaze drift out over the water. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he straightened up quickly.

"Ichiro," He murmured, "Is that...?"

"A mountain of a ship," Ichiro responded in wry amusement. "And we're still a good few leagues off from it." 

What had been a smudge on the horizon at sunset was now a looming shape in the morning light. They could make out the form well now. It was a massive ship, without sails, or masts. Link looked on in wonder. 

"It looks like it's the size of Death Mountain," He commented. Ichiro raised an eyebrow.

"What would you know about Death Mountain?" He scoffed. 

"I went there, I told you." 

"Oh yeah, the Goron sword," Ichiro muttered. There was disbelief in his tone. Link sighed, but didn't bother to defend himself. Instead, he scrambled forward in the boat, and took a seat at the prow, letting the icy sea-spray wake him up as his excitement rose. Slightly ahead of their own boats, the two medium size keel crafts moved steadily on. The forms of their rescue crew were all wrapped in dark capes, despite the warm sun. Link was curious about what sort of people they were. He hadn't had a good look at them since the foggy night they had first met. They mostly stayed aboard their own boats, and he hadn't been invited to come across. The only one who had met with them was Ichiro, who kept all information between himself and the captain. 

Link was interrupted from his train of thought at a loud cry from ahead, and he looked up to see a form standing up in the first boat ahead. The figure stood still, his cape whipping back in the misty sea-wind, gazing out. Another cry answered his, in the same way, and Link finally saw the third boat, a good distance off, coming to meet them. 

"Get out of the way."

Link looked back, and made room for Ichiro, who leapt across the boats to the one in front of them. 

The young Hylian made a sound of frustration, and then stood shakily to make the same jump. He crashed into Ichiro, who whipped around in anger. "What the hell are you doing?" He hissed.

"What I was _sent _to do," Link said hotly. "I'm coming with you." 

Ichiro glared at him, but as they were being watched, he said nothing more. The two moved up the boat, careful not to step on any feet or hands. Link peered straight ahead, trying not to stare at the crew in curiosity. They jumped to the next boat, and met with the man who had been standing at the prow. He turned around, and Link recognized him as the one who had boarded their boat. He eyed both of them, and then nodded.

"Shhhh'p." He said, pointing out at the looming form on the horizon. Link and Ichiro gazed out over the water.

"That's a helluva ship," Ichiro muttered to himself for the eighth time that day. Link had to nod in agreement. 

"How does it get around?" He wondered out loud. The cloaked man looked at him, and Link was aware of at least one difference in their eyes. The irises were a bright, pure green, with no hint blue, or even gray-blue mingled in. The man didn't seem to notice his surprise, however, and only looked at him in bafflement, not understanding his question. Link pointed out at the massive vessel, and mimicked a boat with his cupped left hand, holding his right hand above vertically. The man looked confused, and turned to Ichiro. Ichiro sighed. 

"This language barrier is going to get us killed." 

"You try," Link suggested. Ichiro threw a quick frown at him. "C'mon, it won't hurt. The sooner we understand each other, the sooner we can find the princess."

Ichiro turned to the waiting man, and impatiently pointed at the ship. "Ship," He said curtly. He pointed at the boat below them, and then to the men who were paddling. 

"Uhn," Their guest said at last. He produced a grin under his dark, neatly trimmed beard, perhaps feeling heartened at the understanding. Then, putting his hands in front of him, he made several quick motions, at one time pointing back behind them repeatedly until they realized he was pointing at Tappor three boats back.

"Tappor powers their ship?" Link joked. "Wouldn't have thought of that."

Ichiro looked aggravated. "He means something..." He snapped his fingers. "Magic."

"What?"

"He means magic. Tappor sent that message to them, so he knows he's a magic user. That damn things powered by magic! Powerful magic, by the size of it."

The man looked between them curiously. "M'gc?" He asked, having heard it repeated several times. 

Link nodded. He turned and pointed back to Tappor, and then cupped his hands, holding them up. "Magic." 

"Uhn," The man grinned. "M'gc. Te." 

"Tay?" Link asked, turning to Ichiro. The Chief shrugged.

"Magic. Now look smart and try to not screw up; we should reach the third boat in a few hours, and by tomorrow afternoon, our rendezvous."

Link nodded, and let his hand stray to the ocarinas clipped to his belt. Just a little longer now, and they'd be able to get help to find Saria. He felt his resolve strengthen, and bit of jumpiness settle in his stomach.

"Nervous?" He asked Ichiro. Ichiro's face was unreadable.

"It doesn't matter. A soldier never shows his fears. Toughen up now, the worst is ahead."

Link felt a cold shiver run down his spine at the words.

*************

Link strained his eyes forward to see the three boats meeting in the waxing light. A member of the third boat crossed onto one of the medium size keel boats, and knelt to speak with the members aboard. Ichiro sat stiffly at the prow, his long-sword resting against his leg. The Guard had hunched up in the boat behind him, ready for the slightest command from their chief. The sailors, curious and wary, inhabited the last two boats, along with Tappor. 

A sharp wave hit their boats, and Link rocked forward slightly. He looked to the Captain.

"Wer' in 'er wake," He said simply. The waves had steadily become rougher, though Link hadn't noticed them, un-akin to seafaring as he was. Now, as they came in harsh, sudden intervals, jerking him from his seat, he began to feel the change. None were higher than the sides of one of their boats, yet they were strong waves, backlashes from the massive frame of the moving, strange, sail-less ship. 

"Where's that damned scholar?" Ichiro asked, looking to the nearest soldier. The man looked back over his shoulder.

"He's in the second boat, sir, sitting between two sailors-"

"Well, get him up here. He's our foreign culture expert, isn't he?" The Chief said impatiently. "No, I don't care if he is unarmed. If there's going to be a battle, then we'll all die anyway. We're outnumbered five to one." 

Link secretly decided that telling everyone they were going to die wasn't a good way to boost morale. The Guard shifted uncomfortably. One called back to the second boat, and Tappor was hauled across to take a seat at the front. He gave Ichiro a look of mock surprise.

"Why, my good Chief, I presumed you didn't like me-"

"Shut up," Ichiro growled. "You'll come in handy for something."

"Ichiro," Link said in a hushed tone.

"What?" The Chief snapped, having been interrupted from his squabble with the scholar. He turned his eyes in the direction the younger Hylian had been gazing, and suddenly tensed. "Everyone, shut up." 

All conversation died instantly at the low-spoken command. The crew turned to follow Link and Ichiro's gaze. Across the water, in the late afternoon sun, a shimmer had started out across the sea, almost as if it had poured out from the incredible ship. Indeed, the lower hull, those sides directly above the water, were glowing a strange yellowish tint, unlike anything the crew of the _New Dawn _had seen before. 

"What is..." Link breathed. 

"Magic," Tappor said simply. "And for a vessel of that capacity, I could observe why. This ship is no doubt a civilian type. Perhaps, even... _a_ _sea colony_!"

"A sea colony?" Several voices piped up.

"Thought those wer' just seafolk tales." The Captain muttered. " 'Yrule never 'ad the means o' a magic ship ter begin with."

"Pardon me, my fine, nautical Captain, but Hyrule did indeed have the means to support and build both a sea colony, and a magic-powered water vessel. However, around the time period that such things could have been accomplished, the land broke out in a civil war, and all plans for sea travel were lost."

"I never heard anything about that," Ichiro interrupted. "The Kingdom of Hyrule based most of its power on building a sizable army, not on sea-faring tools. And I never heard about any colonies." 

"Perhaps if you would take interest in anything beyond warfare, you would have known, my good Chief." Tappor answered stiffly. "In earlier records... Hmm," He seemed to remember suddenly that all of the records were gone. He shook himself, and continued. "In earlier records, before the war, and inner skirmish, there were many voyages made into the uncharted waters, several of them bringing back information to begin the trade with other lands. However, there were also several that resulted in the formation of colonies on small land formations some distance from the mainland of Hyrule. The idea of a 'sea colony', or a ship or vessel which a community of people could live and prosper on at sea, soon became on the tip of every scholar and sea mariner's tongue."

Tappor finished the narrative with a flourish of his hand. 

"So why didn't they ever try to do it again, and why doesn't anyone talk about those colonies?" Link asked.

Tappor buffed his spectacles on his sleeve with pride, and smiled at the eager student.

Ichiro snorted. "Because its a load of shit. There are no colonies, and if a bunch of featherbrained scholars and sailors talked about it, thats all it was, just talk." 

Tappor donned his glasses, and gave Ichiro a patient, if slightly aggravated look. "The colonies _were _known about by the people of the time. However, with all of the warfare breaking out across the land it was soon cast to the back of minds, and as time went on, and the ship industry crumbled, the young grew old, and the new youth could not have known there was ever such a thing. As our good Chief said, Hyrule's newest priority became the production and maintenance of an invincible army, to control all of the land and prevent further war."

"What happened to the colonies?" A member of the Guard asked. Ichiro shot him a look, and he snapped back to attention.

"That, I am not sure of." Tappor said regretfully. "They seemed to have disappeared, and all contact was lost without able voyaging ships. Who knows what may have become of the colonized islands of Hyrule?"

"Ar'right," The Captain muttered. "Stow the gab, me 'earties, our guests are settin' off, full pace." 

Link grabbed a paddle enthusiastically, and put his back into the rowing, his mind filled to the brim with the thoughts of lost colonies and dark blue eyes- the color of a fair night sky. 

************

By morning, the message had spread like wildfire across the lone farmhouses, spread out across the endless Northern fields: the swordsmen were coming. 

Unlike a horseman, whose main task was to deliver messages and goods, a swordsman was a trained soldier, used by noblemen for their dirty work. Five set out from Majora's keep, each leading a platoon of soldiers. The warning passed from farmer to farmer was simple: each house and premises would be searched thoroughly for the escaped prisoners. Any attempt to avoid or repulse this search would end in imprisonment or death. 

Ru'Tl, the farmer who had taken Sheik and Koji in, went around the house with a grim air, resituating everything as he prepared for the oncoming search. A man from the farmhouse twenty recs over had ridden by horseback to send word, and had gone on without drink or rest to continue warning the civilians. Ru'Tl stopped in the middle of the kitchen, looking at all of his family's belongings. Hot bread, fresh from the large, clay oven behind the house, rested on the window 'sill, cooling for the next morning's breakfast. Dishes, cleaned and stacked, sat quietly in their cabinet, along with the tableware and specially made tablecloths folded neatly. Odd knickknacks hung on the walls; old, rusty weapons from some forgotten battle, looms and dreamcatchers, and several worn, scribbled pictures on papyrus: S'Lora's childhood meanderings.

The farmer closed his eyes, remembering the peace of his life. The good crops, blessed by the Gods', the daughter and wife he had spent the best part of his life with. He heaved a sigh, and made a sign for the Fates across his face. His wife, back from helping her daughter situate their guests' room, came in to stand beside him.

"They, the riders, will be here soon." She said softly, watching her husband's calm face. He opened his eyes, and turned to her.

"What would you, in your good woman wisdom, have me do?"

She smiled sadly. 

"What, in decision, could we do, husband? Too long, suppressed, have we stood in the shadow, to the north."

"We could hide," He said shortly, his voice thick with emotion. 

"Not forever, with every hiding place, husband." The farmer's wife said gently, taking her husbands hands in her own. "Only, as I stand here, do I regret the loss of happiness. It, the feeling, will come again, in time, though." 

"Wife, whom I bonded to," He whispered. "What, as I breathe, can I do?"

"You, as you stand, know what must be done." His wife responded. He looked down at her, so aged since the day he had bonded with her. Yet the spark of fire in her eyes had not diminished with time, and he loved her as he did so long ago. Now, gray headed, the both of them, it was time to step out of the dark shadow of slavery, and into the new day of freedom.

*************

S'Lora folded a quilt neatly, humming to herself as she did. Across the small guest house, Koji had taken a seat on one of the two small cots, and sat with his head lowered between his knees, hands resting on his neck. 

S'Lora had been afraid of him at first sight- his sickly pale skin and sunken features enough to alarm anyone- but once she realized the cruelty done to him, she only now felt a kind of outrage. S'Lora was a hot spirited young Majjorian, her flaming red hair and bright green eyes enough to communicate the message of a wild soul to anyone who met her. As any teenager must be, she was overwhelmed with the romanticism of the high seas and the idea of soldiers and warriors. Life on her father's farmed land had not done much to suppress her free spirit, and now, as she saw wonders of the outside world for the first time in the form of two strangers, the danger of the night could not reach her.

The second stranger, who was called Sh'k, suddenly appeared to her right, and she dropped the quilt, startled at his quiet entry. His eyes flicked to the fallen material, and he bowed an apology. When he spoke, his voice was soft and rich, and she wished she knew what he was saying. 

"No need, as you bow, for an apology!" She said breathily, kneeling to pick it up. When she straightened again, he was gone, and she looked around in bewilderment. The pale-skinned man sitting on the cot had not moved from his position, and S'Lora walked over to him to set the quilt down by his side. He jerked out of his reverie, and looked up, startling her with his dark, sunken eyes. The pointed ears, jutting out from either side of his skull, gave him the effect of a ghoul, and she swallowed. "I... That quilt, folded there, is for you." She pointed to it. Koji turned slowly, and eyed it. He turned back to her, and said something softly. S'Lora nodded back quickly, and stepped back suddenly, almost running into Sheik. She whirled around in surprise. Sheik looked at her quietly, and turned to look at Koji. Koji had slumped forward again, though, and did not look up. 

"Thank you for the room," Sheik said, bowing to her again. S'Lora, recognizing the strange action for what it was, nodded back, and retreated quickly from the one-room building. 

Sheik closed the old wooden door behind her as she left, and let his eyes flick across the interior of the room, checking the windows and the small chimney built rather newly into the adjacent wall. All were available escapes, if it ever came to that, and the door could easily be barred. Appeased, he walked forward to take a seat on the second cot. On the whole, the room was neatly kept. The floor was freshly swept, the blankets clean, and the fire kindled to a low burn. The Sheikan youth sighed, and allowed himself to relax for the moment. No doubt the enemy would have men sent out to find them, but for now there was nothing to be done. 

Sheik leaned back on the cot, removing the compact bag that had hung under the clothing on his back. Inside was the Sacred Harp, and the ten tiny blades wrapped up in a soft cloth. He checked them thoroughly, each string of the harp especially, before slipping the bag, with its sound contents, under the cot's meager pillow. 

*************

The ship _was _made of metal. The eastern hull side towered high above them into the sky, glinting dully with the fading sun's light. From the prow to the aft, it stretched more than thrice the length of the _New Dawn_. They could not spot the deck. 

As far as Link could see, there was no way into it. The only openings seemed to be the small, dark, looking portholes, high up above them. 

"'Ow many floors do yer think it 'as, cully?" A sailor muttered to his companion nearby. There was no telling. Even the most weathered Hylian sailor could not make heads nor tails of the massive craft. It was alien to anything they had ever known. 

Soon, one of their questions was appeased, as each of them in turn caught sight of a yawning door, seemingly cut out of the bottom side, standing out sharply from the rest of the metallic hull. Ahead of them, the first of the three keel boats disappeared inside. 

"Damn," Ichiro said simply. "It docks boats."

The waves had become rough now, the aftershocks of the mighty ships wake. As they came up towards the side of the ship, Link felt the great craft's shadow engulf them. He felt suddenly very small. Tappor chuckled. 

"It's very intimidating, is it not? All of my life I have read scrolls describing palatial, ocean colonies, and now I have seen one. I never thought I should live to see the day..." He trailed off as the sun disappeared behind the ship's form, silhouetting the juggernaut, and they were thrown into a deeper shadow. Ahead, the second medium keel boat slipped abruptly into the dark docking bay inside the ship, and the rowers began to steer into its general direction.


	28. Chapter 28

Wow, it's been awhile! And by awhile I mean something like a year! I think I owe everyone an explanation, but I don't know how to explain except that I lost two full documents of this chapter and the next, and I've finally gotten around to rewriting and reentering the world I began creating over a year ago.  
Disclaimers in, well, you know. This is just the beginning of Chapter 28, I'll update as soon as possible on the rest of it.

I also wanted to take this chance to get a few pronunciations in for some of the words and names of the Mijjorians. K'Gar is largest port city in Mijjori, and as a city the ' signifies that the first letter, in this case, "K", is pronounced separately. Thus, K'Gar sounds like "Kay-Gar". This is true also for major bodies of water. Small towns and villages, as well as names of people, are pronounced differently. As in the case of S'Lora, the ' signifies that it is pronounced as one word, with the first letter leading into the next. Thus, S'Lora sounds like "Suh-Lora". Mijjorian sentences are filled with excess words due to heavy cultural tradition in which the speaker often confirms and give details to what he is saying so that there is no misunderstanding between the two parties.

Ch. 28

Ah! what is not a dream by day  
To him whose eyes are cast  
On things around him with a ray  
Turned back upon the past?

-Edgar Allen Poe

Inside, it was as if they were going through a tunnel made of metal, the water lapping at the boats edges as it bumped along, and then suddenly, the tunnel widened. The metal walls yawned out on either side of them as they swept out from under the low tunnel ceiling and entered the cavernous bay.  
"Everyone stay sharp," Ichiro muttered quietly. Some of the crew nodded, others were too distracted. Link shuddered, taking in the light fog that settled on the water as if he were on Lake Hylia and not in the belly of a gigantic metal ship. He couldn't even see the walls around him, or the ceiling above, the way lit strangely by some light source above them.

"Like the sun," He breathed. It seemed as if he were voicing the thoughts of several other crewmembers of the late _New Dawn_ by the nods that followed his statement. Tappor was busy muttering to himself, looking around with an expression that could only be described as pure joy. Even the Captain found himself speechless, at least, for a few minutes.

"Stap me rudder," he finally uttered, and shook his head several times, finding nothing else to say.

"Magic," Tappor said at last, with evident pride in their rescuers' ship, and fell to further muttering.

Their rescuers seemed to be enjoying their childlike amazement, throwing snatches of light conversation between them, obviously amused and glad to be home.

_Home, _Link thought, _could Tappor be right? Could this be their home? _

The only sound aside from the low lull of conversation was the gentle lapping of the water against the boat sides, and a far off, as they passed, the splash of water against greater shapes that loomed closer in the fog. A crewmember sitting at the head of the first boat was the first to recognize them as the boats neared.

"Dip me in the waters an' calls me a Zora- Cap'n One Eyed Deadleg! Thar be ships in 'ere! Same size as the _New Dawn_, bless 'er!"

Some crewmembers began to stand up in their excitement, before the Captain roared them back into their seats, causing a stir among the boatmen.

"Easy, Captain," Ichiro gritted, stopping himself from automatically reaching for his sword. "We're not safe yet."

Deadleg was too busy gaping, himself, though. "Avast! Thar be more ships 'ere than in all me 'istory as a Cap'n!"  
"An yor father's 'ist'ry, too, Cap'n!" A grizzled sailor piped up. Deadleg was too stunned to do anything further but nod.

"It _does_ only makes sense," Tappor said matter-of-factly, wiping the condensation from his spectacles. "If this is indeed a sea colony, then I surmise they must receive a plethora of guests by water vessel." His eyes gleamed like that those of a child with a sudden abundance of new toys, unsure of which one to focus on first. "I imagine the light that we are experiencing is also of a magical quality- _extraordinary_!"

It was true that the light from above was impressive, as filtered as it was by the fog that rolled over the water, cutting out most of their view of the docked ships they were now easing by, the runners and joints creaking ghost-like from the tall shadowy giants. Link gripped the side of the boat he sat in, peering around, under the irritated eyes of Ichiro, at the long docks they were now approaching, where brighter lights, looking more like the lanterns from home he could recognize.

"Welcome committee," Ichiro murmured darkly, nodding towards the nearest dock. Link followed his eyesight, spotting the figures, half glowing and half murky in the fog lights, waiting for them ahead.

* * *

Sheik woke abruptly to the sound of voices on the other side of the door. He squinted in the dark, sharp eyes taking in the still, slumbering shape of Koji and the more general shapes that inhabited the room. He sat up, slipping out of his bed to walk stealth-like to the door.

Recognizing the voices of their host and his family, he relaxed slightly, wishing not for the first time that he understood their words. The discussion seemed to be strained, with a good deal of voices rising in question and then being hushed.

Sheik stepped forward suddenly, opening the door. The girl jumped, her eyes widening in surprise. Her parents, he noted, did no more than turn to look at him, looking weary and old in the half moon's light.

"Traveler, standing before me," Ru'Tl began, his voice that of an old, tired man's, "though you do not, as I stand here, know my language, and I do not, in truth, know your language, I have come, as a father, with a request."

"Father, I do not, as I stand here, understand!" S'Lora grabbed her father's arm, the feeling of danger almost palpable in the air. Her mother placed a soothing hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her daughter as she looked upon her for the last time.

"Daughter, whom I love, do not despair! We will, as the sun rises, see each other again!"

Koji had awoken when the door had opened, and now he stood back in the shadows, behind Sheik, blinking dark eyes in tired confusion. Sheik glanced back at his approach, and then to the distressed family at the door. Over the farmer's shoulder there was slung a knapsack and a travel bag, discolored by age. He looked to the panicked girl, the tight expressions, and spoke.

"They have come for us," He said simply, looking the farmer in the eye. He could almost see an understanding and a motive in the half lit features of the farmer. There was intensity in the mother's eyes, and in the way she held her daughter to her, and Sheik understood. "We will go together," He held his swathed hands up, beckoning for them all to come in. The farmer shook his head, and his daughter began her questioning anew. Sheik turned and walked past Koji, his mind racing.

"It is, in truth, for safety, daughter," Ru'Tl said, taking his daughter by the arm and leading her forward. She looked for a moment as if she would rebel, but at last deflated, letting her father lead her into the room. He dropped the two bags on the floor in front of Sheik, who eyed them and then him.

"We have to go," he said, taking in Koji's confused expression. "There is danger here." His wretched companion seemed to shudder, looking towards the doorway with unmistakable fear in his eyes.

"T…te…Ma."

Sheik blinked, easing up from the cot where he'd retrieved his pack. "What?"

A heavy silence fell over them, as if some dark taboo had been spoken. Death seemed to hang on the slight wind that tumbled in the doorway.

The farmer's face drained of color, and he gripped his daughter's arm, looking back to his wife.

"What, as he said it, does it mean, father?" S'Lora whispered, as if afraid to break the silence. Ru'Tl looked up at the wretched traveling companion of Sh'k, who averted the gaze of his empty, dark eyes.

Sheik looked at the gaze between them, and shouldered the pack on his back, taking the larger knapsack as well. Koji, seeing this, sprang forward to grab the second bag, taking it upon his weak and skeletal frame in an effort to assist the red-eyed warrior he now considered his master.

Ru'Tl and his wife stepped out of the doorway, as the two former prisoners followed them out, a reluctant S'Lora following behind. She looked one last time to her father.

"I don't understand," she said simply, her eyes flicking to her mother's sad expression. "Why must I go, and you stay?" She had another bag slung of her own shoulder, which contained the only clothes she owned. The farmer put on a brave face for his daughter. "Make your way, as you go, for the coast. K'Gar-"

A chilling sound split the silent night air, sending a shudder through them. S'Lora drew in a breath, clutching at her father's arm. "What is it?"

Sheik scoured the hills with his eyes, his ears picking up the faintest sound of hooves. "Someone is approaching."

"Go, as I say, to K'Gar!" Ru'Tl said, grasping his daughter by the shoulders. "Follow, with trust, this warrior! Go!" He pushed her back, and she stumbled, her eyes widening in fear.

"When shall, in time, you come?" She whispered, searching their faces.

"Te'Ma," Koji said again, the word rising in fear. Sheik looked at his shuddering companion, and then into the night again. "We must leave now," he said, turning to his host. "There is time for all of us to leave."

"Blood magic?" S'Lora echoed, gasping. "What-"

Another piercing sound, now unmistakable in it's meaning, floated to their ears over the shattered calm of the night.

"Bloodhounds," The farmer whispered. He looked at Sheik. "Go, as I say! And do not, in the night, look back!"

* * *

The fields of tall grasses that crunched under their feet swayed rhythmically in the faintest wind, catching slivers of the pale moonlight that illuminated the path that seemed to appear before Sheik's eyes.

There was no sound apart from the labored breathing of the ex-slave, and the occasional faint sobs that came from the girl that raced behind them. Sheik could not afford to slow down to accommodate the needs of his companions. There had been a close moment, in the tumbling hills surrounding the farmstead, where the riders had passed by. The three of them had, under Sheik's instruction, sprawled into the dirt in a hill's hollow and laid quiet while the riders passed, something chill and blood-curdling loping and panting along with the horses.

_Te'Ma._

Even without understanding the words, he understood the fear it inspired in the farmer and his family. One look at Koji had confirmed some imminent danger. He had not fully understood at the time Ru'Tl and his wife's firm determination to be left behind, but as they moved farther and farther away from the search party and the unsettling howls, the sacrifice had begun to dawn on him.

A soft sob from behind him jarred Sheik back to the present. He blanked his mind against the thoughts, and the thoughts of what they were going to do once morning came, and focused on where his feet were taking them.

They ran on, traveling through the night until even Sheik was tired, and their eyes were failing them in the faint light gray colors of dawn. At last, the grasses broke their lines, and they came upon an old dirt road where they hitched a ride on the back of a kind, albeit wary, farmer's wagon.

S'Lora finally found sleep as the sun began to rise. Bright spots danced in front of her closed eyes as she drifted, her head resting against the red-eyed stranger's steady heartbeat, into an untroubled sleep.

She did not waken until the following afternoon, as the wagon rolled to a halt by a larger, heavily populated road.

"This, as far as I see, is your stop." The farmer said, not unkindly. He had left the three alone as the morning waned on, understanding that they needed to rest. The red-eyed warrior had watched the road with him since daybreak, going as far as to attempt a short-lived conversation. He understood the three of them were running away from something, but they had no hostility, so he had not bothered them further. As they stumbled off the back, the girl turned back to him.  
"Excuse me, sir, as I ask. Where, as we stand, are we?"  
He nodded, towards the wider, well-used road he was veering away from. "That, as far as you can see it, is the White Sea road. It, when traveled, will take you to the coast, and to T'lar."

"We thank you," She said softly, curtseying. The farmer nodded gruffly, urging his horse on down the smaller road. They watched him go, each lost in their own thoughts.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimers in chapter 1.

Ch. 29

City of ships!  
(O the black ships! O the fierce ships!  
O the beautiful, sharp-bow'd steam-ships and sail-ships!)  
City of the world!

-Walt Whitman

* * *

The first keel boat bobbed up to the dock, its bow suddenly grasped by several willing hands, who tied it off. The murky shapes loomed suddenly out of the fog, voices falling all around them as hands offered help.

Their rescuers clambered up first, speaking to the men standing around in dark gray tunics on the dock. Link grasped the first hand that reached into the boat, and jumped up on the dock, finding himself face to face with several caped men, as the sailor moved on to offer assistance to someone else. The caped men spoke quietly amongst themselves for another moment, before turning to move toward him.  
These men wore the same tunics, but with metal-trimmed shoulder cuffs. There was a flash of dull gleam as the first bowed courteously, beginning to talk, that Link recognized as a golden brooch, shaped like an animal he didn't recognize.

Link bowed awkwardly back, the words rolling over him. He sensed Ichiro suddenly beside him, and cast a quick glance over to the general, who was fairly bristling. Ichiro ignored him, stepping forward and making a short bow as well.  
"Greetings, from Hyrule," He said, his usually stern demeanor becoming even more severe.

"Quite the negotiator, wouldn't you concur?"

Link started, looking at the smiling scholar at his side. The Captain along with Ichiro had gone on ahead, speaking with the caped men. Link frowned.

"Where're they going?"

The boats were finally emptied, and the crew milled about, the soldiers watching their captain leave warily. The sailors, however, seemed to be already shaking of their surprise, somehow finding a way of communication with the more taciturn rescue crew that involved curses and hand gestures.

"To negotiate, I surmise," Tappor sniffed. "I do believe our services are presumed gratuitous."

Link grimaced. "I'm gonna assume that means unwanted." He sighed, rolling his shoulders to get the kinks out the long ride had caused. "I'm just happy to be on something firm," He confessed. The caped men, along with Ichiro, Deadleg, and part of the rescue crew had disappeared into a wide opening farther down one of the docks. From another door less tunnel, several more men appeared, these in softer blue tunics, heading their way.

"That is most astute of you, my friend!" Tappor said at last, having paused to wipe the fog from his glasses again before they followed the beckoning men. "The flooring here is very still!"

They followed the blue-clad men into the hallway, which was lined with carpeting and small wall-set candles that seemed to glow.

The crew fell silent in the hallway, and silence enveloped them, apart from the soft rattle of the Guards' chain mail and the soft lap of the water behind them. The tunnel was narrow, with several wooden doors corresponding on both sides, and soon even the sounds of water and the creaks of the ships disappeared, replaced by silence.

Link took a deep breath, his eyes flickering over their hosts, and to the close ceiling, and wondered what else they would find within a ship that also housed a docking bay.

"Tap?" He muttered softly.  
The scholar looked up from his silent introspection. "Yes?"

"You think if they were going to try to kill us they'd have already done it?"

His companion chuckled softly, and several of the nearest sailors gave him nervous grins as well.

"I should imagine not," he muttered back, "at most we will be enslaved and required to toil until our dying days."

Link shot him a determined look. "They'd have to kill me first. I plan on finding out more about that pirate ship that has Saria." He looked up ahead, taking a deep breath and steeling his nerve. "If this place really is what you think it is, then somebody _has_ to know something about it."  
His companion nodded. "My beliefs exactly, my vigorous young friend. Now," He began, his large intelligent eyes following the silent figures of their hosts. "If we could only _comprehend_ one another!"

Link nodded. "Maybe they'll have scholars here. Someone who speaks other languages…"  
"A linguist," Tappor supplied, rubbing his hands together with interest. "Perhaps you are right! I am fluent in a quantity of dialects and idioms of old and surrounding the land of Hyrule. Perhaps we may find a medium!"

Unable to follow the scholar's enthusiasm, Link merely nodded. He hoped they'd get the chance to find out.

_Saria… hold on._

* * *

If there was one thing he would always associate with his first memories of the N.A.C. ship, Link decided, it would be the people. They were _everywhere_. In just two days of his stay onboard the sea colony- for that was what it was- he had seen more people up and down his assigned corridors than he had seen in the town surrounding Hyrule Castle. Tappor had left him early on, with an enthusiasm to find like scholarly minds, and of the few glimpses he'd seen of Ichiro and the captain, hoarse and frustrated from the continued attempts at breaching the language barrier, he didn't have any desire to join them.

The Guard had been stationed in separate quarters with Ichiro, on another deck somewhere. The sailors, Tappor, and Link, had been assigned to crewmen's quarters, after having their weapons detained with much politeness and bowing. Link had been uneasy, along with the rest of the crew, at the acquisition, but had soothed his worries upon being shown the location of their weapons, as well as the supplies that had escaped the wreckage of the _New Dawn_. Only Ichiro and the Guard seemed to be allowed to keep their weapons with them, and only with great observance.

Having been left to his own devices early, Link had begun to wander the corridors, finding he was lost on many occasions, with helpful, if incomprehensible people helping him awkwardly back to his floor. And there were many of these people, who came and went, pushing creaky carts down the hardwood floors and coming and going about their daily duties. They hailed Link whenever they saw him, until he had learned the acceptable word for greeting, and responded back.

From what he was to understand from helpful maps posted at different intervals on the crew floors, he was farther up from the bottom of the ship, where the dock was located, and above that, a floor labeled _Te'Gar_. Above this mysterious floor were three entire levels dedicated to storage of supplies and stocks. The floors above these, the passenger, library, and other decks, seemed to be open to their exploration, however, Ichiro had forbid it on pain of death, until they could open up some sort of line of communication. After having learned that the only floors accessible were the cargo levels, and that _Te'Gar _was not, and realizing that he probably wouldn't see the larger part of his companions for quite some time, he decided to venture down and discover what they housed.

* * *

Tappor collapsed his short rotund form back onto his bunk, and sighed happily. Link followed him into his quarters, and leaned against the doorway. After a moment to gather himself, the scholar sat back up, and was once again seemed the calm wise scholarly type.

"Well," he said brightly. "There certainly is a great quantity of knowledge for one to imbibe here!"

Link blinked at him, standing up straight. "Any luck with the language?"

His companion sighed, his enthusiasm finally waning. "Aside from a number of scrolls in the Old Language, I fear not. Several of my colleagues led me to a _mammoth_ library some flights exceeding ours! Believe me, my youthful friend, I have never perceived a compilation of knowledge come together quite so magnificently as this vessel holds!"

Link's sighed. "Ichiro doesn't seem to be having any luck either."

His companion chuckled, pulling out several scrolls he had brought in his long sleeves and unwinding one. "Considering our dear Chief of the Guard's temperament, it is no startling revelation." He flattened the scroll, pouring over it. "However," he said at last, "if one were to find the information one was seeking, which one unquestionably could here, it is within this congregation of many peoples' knowledge I have discovered!"

Link nodded wryly. "Deadleg said at least that they know of the pirate ship that attacked us. Apparently, it's also well known here, but it keeps distance from the ship." This knowledge hadn't helped any, after he had demanded for Ichiro to ask to the pirate ships' location. Ichiro had merely cast him an irritated look.

"As you can see, communication has proved out of our grasp," He had growled. "Perhaps we should have brought a different scholar or none at all." With another annoyed glance at the people busily passing them by, he had turned to return to the conference room he and the captain had been taken to.

Although secretly agreeing with Ichiro that having a…linguistic, was it? Would have smoothed things over, and cured his impatience to find out more about Saria's kidnappers, Link would never admit to it, or speak out against Tappor. The scholar had been a pleasant -if slightly erratic- companion to their crew, and Link now regarded him as a friend, as well as a veritable source of knowledge on the history of Hyrule and other interesting tidbits of information.

He looked up. "I'm going down a couple of floors…see if I can find something out," he said.

Tappor chuckled, looking up. "If it is one solitary verity I consider I may rely on with warriors, it is their restlessness in all conditions."  
Link opened his mouth to argue, and then closed it, to his companions' further amusement. He pulled his hood off, running a hand through his hair sheepishly. "I guess I just feel a little out of it." He put a hand against the doorsill. "This is the farthest I've ever been from home." He studied his braced hand, different than he last remembered it, gripping a horse's reins. Now it seemed paler, the skin cracked and dry from the salty air of the high seas. _So much has changed… _"I just figured I'd take a look around."

The Hylian scholar nodded, his eyes already drawn back to the tattered scroll he'd unwound. "Perchance some of the sailors would care to be an adjunct to you," he looked up with a blinking smile. "They seem to be anxious to unearth something to do with themselves as well."  
Link finally smiled, turning to leave. The sailors could be found, most likely, holed away with the colonies' own boat crews, sharing strange "bilge water" kegs and incomprehensible yet bawdy stories that seemed native to all sailors wherever they were found.

* * *

Something that the exploration into the supply levels afforded him was time to be and alone and to think. It was something that had eluded him since the fast and perilous events that had followed their fight with the pirate ship and Saria's capture. He allowed himself a deep breath, pausing among the dark and dusty boxes that stacked up and created rows and walkways for him to wander. The stairs down had opened into a wide, dark corridor, lit sparsely with the soft magic lights that lined most places on the ship. Magic, it seemed, was an important part of this society's every day life. Different from Hyrule, where magic was contained to history, and the mysterious forces of the Lost Woods.

He brushed away a layer of dust from a crate nearby. The writing was entirely alien to him, even stranger than that on the maps and posters on the floors above. He peered at it, as the dust settled, feeling farther than home than he ever had before. He suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia for his cot in Talon's two-story, rickety house. Link swallowed the strange new feeling. Even when he had left the Kokiri, he had not felt any homesickness. There was nothing further than necessity that had attached him to the forest people.

_But not to Saria… _He moved on, exploring the different the nooks and crannies of the hold. Here, it creaked more, closer to the bottom of the ship. Would it have been different if he'd known her? It probably would have, he considered. A friend would have made a great difference in his lonely childhood. Someone to join him on his solitary walks into the wild, enchanted woods. _I never fit in there… _Link came to another doorway, leading on and to another wooden stairway that descended into further dark. He eyed it thoughtfully, maybe there was-

The dark, dusty crates around him suddenly seemed to be bending, stretching around him. He blinked, trying to rid himself of the vision, and began to feel his heart race. _Not here… _The creaking seemed to increase, until it was a groan from the thick wooden-platted walls around him. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling a cold sweat break out.

Laughter, whispering shadows.

His eyes opened, widening, as the dim lights seemed to flicker, and shadows grew on the wall. Behind him, something shook, rattling like bones, and he whipped around, the hairs lifting on the back of his neck. "Who's there?"

Even as he said it, the room began to darken, the walls bending in around him. _Damn it, get a hold of yourself! It isn't real! _A shadow, darker than the rest of the interior of the cabin space, seemed to materialize and grow before him, its shape tapering off into a long neck.

"If this is another damn memory…" Link cursed, stumbling back, as it lurched towards him. "I don't think I _want_ to know!"

It attacked suddenly, hisses and whispers and strange pipes playing crazily in his ears as he stumbled back, his foot suddenly encountering space. The dark shadow tipped crazily, along with the cart-filled room, as he plunged backwards, falling haphazardly down the stairs, and into the darkness below.

Just as he hit bottom, a door opened somewhere, and he crashed into whatever had come through. In the dark, he tried to pull himself up, tangled in warm limbs, the strange music replaced by curses and shuffles in the dark. At last, the magic lights seemed to flair back to life, and the form entangled with him suddenly rose up, fangs flashing below wild, gleaming eyes.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimers in Chapter 1

Chapter 30

* * *

Out through the fields and the woods 

And over the walls I have wended;

I have climbed the hills of view

And looked at the world, and descended;

I have come by the highway home,

And lo, it is ended.

-Robert Frost

* * *

Sheik lowered the waterskin with a sigh, pulling his mask up snugly. The sun beat down mercilessly on them, and he wiped his brow. He caught S'Lora's watching eyes, and offered the waterskin. She stepped forward tentatively, and took it. 

They had been traveling the better part of two days down the dusty wagon-rutted road towards the coast. Two small towns had marked their journey along the path, and they'd stopped once in the second town to pick up some supplies with the coins S'Lora carried. The small gold, silver, and brass round pieces of metal had left Sheik bemused. Koji stayed silent, shying away from the town and meeting up with them again on the road beyond.

After S'Lora had sipped from the waterskin, Sheik put it back in the sack he carried on his back, motioning with his head for his companions to join him. Koji pulled himself up with a groan from his dusty seat on the sideway. S'Lora had remained almost as quiet as the ex slave since their escape in the night, her thoughts no doubt on her parents.

Sheik felt a pang of sympathy for her, watching her silent form from the corner of his eye. She would not know for many leagues that she was an orphan.

He straightened up, catching her attention, and pointed ahead of them, down the road towards the horizon.

"T'lar?" He asked, pronouncing the word carefully.

"Un," She said softly, after a quiet sniffle. She resituated the straps to the bag on her back, peering ahead of them. "Though, as I know, this is not the way to K'Gar." She bit her lip, and looked shyly at the warrior. Unreadable red eyes gazed back at her briefly, before flickering forward again.

"K'Gar," the warrior said, his accent making the word colorful. His voice was softer than any man's she knew, though it was true she did not know many. Her father's voice was gruff and deep, and a rich sound when he laughed or sang. She blinked back sudden tears, and took a deep breath, averting her face from the road to keep her weakness secret. Sheik allowed her the moment, casting his eyes back to Koji.

"What is K'Gar?"

Koji jerked, surprised from wherever his mind had wandered. He looked up, dark eyes flickering. "B…big city." He seemed to consider it long, his pronounced collarbone shifting as he took a breath. At last, he shrugged. "Biggest."

Sheik nodded, his sharp ears picking up the sounds of civilization nearby. "All right… I think we are getting close…" He held up a hand to halt his companions. S'Lora wiped her eyes discreetly. The Sheikah warrior hesitated, considering his approach. At last, he held up a hand, and pointed down the road.

"T'lar." He said clearly. S'Lora nodded slowly. Sheik nodded back, then drew his hand back to himself, and then to Koji. "We are with you." Her brows furrowed, and he pointed at his mask, and then shook his head. "You will be our voice." He then pointed at her, and then drew close enough to show her he was gesturing towards her mouth. At once, she blushed, understanding.

"Un… I will, in this strange town, speak for us!" She pointed at herself, and took the leader, feeling both enthusiastic to see the coast, and nervous that she'd do something wrong and blow their cover. _This, as I breathe, is not as easy as I thought it!_

Sheik took a breath, the mask across his mouth fluttering, and nodded. "I hope we understand each other," he said softly. Koji's ears twitched, having heard the comment, and his brow furrowed. Sheik gestured for them to catch up.

They made good time down the road, taking a turn off the path finally at a wooden sign hammered into the earth.

"T'lar" S'Lora read slowly, pronouncing the word as she drew a finger across the carved letters. Being a travel guide for two foreign fugitives wasn't what she expected her first adventure to be like, but she had begun to warm to the role. Along the grassy hillocks that led towards the coastal town, she pointed out various objects and animals, naming them, and listening in amusement as they attempted to mimic her. Sheik, with the careful, soft syllables, and Koji, hesitant and gradual.

As they walked, Sheik suddenly pointed up, saying something with the ring of a question in his voice. S'Lora, unable to spot what it was, shifted closer to him, distracted by the sky overhead. At last, she had seen the small bird, and given him the name for it. She'd looked down to smile at his attempt at the name, and realized with a shock that they were almost the same height.

_Perhaps, in his land, he is average_, she mused, casting a quick peek at Koji, who was also small, if more lanky.

As she opened her mouth to name a hard root Koji had snatched up from the earth, a piercing scream rent the air. Her head snapped up, and Koji dropped the root, his gaunt body rigid.

Sheik blinked, sensing for the direction of the sound. A gentle breeze blew over the high salt grasses, bringing with it the sounds of battle.

"Come!" He said softly, bolting forward. He was already reaching for the thin knives in his bag before his two companions caught up.

* * *

RedEye narrowed his good eye, shot through with more red than usual. The last leg of the _BloodWave's _journey had been a harrowing one, filled with unexpected weather, even for the partially sub tropic climate Mijjori boasted. 

A violent storm, complete with a shower of fish over the sails and middecks, had been the last trouble on the voyage's end, and only extreme fear and loyalty had kept the superstitious pirates from walking their comatose prisoner, as well as their dangerous captain. No storm could truly measure up to RedEye's legendary cruelty.

Despite his earlier misgivings, something in RedEye's sly brain whispered to him to keep his stolen prize aboard, despite his beliefs that she indeed had something to do with the weather. In all of his years as the Terror of the Seas, he'd never experienced such virulent conditions.

A rap on his cabin door drew his attention from several documents he was perusing. "Come."

The door crack open, revealing the grizzled features of one of his men, a quick-eyed Hylian who had been sailing as a pirate so long he'd forgotten his birthplace long ago. He was his captain's senior by some years, but was no fool- A fact that had won him his position, and his life.

"Cap'n," he rasped. "S'landfall"

RedEye lowered his quill, looking up sharply. "But?"  
The pirate nodded, having expected the question. "S'trouble wi' the Mijj's."

RedEye rose in a smooth motion, the pirate backing up quickly as his captain strode past him, slamming the door open and taking the deck.

Choppier waves met the ship, as it drew closer to the coast, and RedEye wove in-between pirates as they bustled about, tying up the rigs on the largest sail as they began to slow. His Second-in-Command approached, saluting respectfully. RedEye kept his pale rose eye on the approaching coastline's fishing village. "Speak."

"Steady!" The Second roared, to the man at the wheel. He turned to his captain. "Sir, thar be trouble..." He grimaced at the anger that flashed across RedEye's face.

"There has been nothing since trouble since we've begun this accursed voyage." The soft tones were laced with venom.

"Aye," the Second spoke. "An' now we be denied safe land." He pointed towards the steadily growing outline of the village. Beyond the shore, on the water, a dark shape had pushed out, and after a moment the smudge become a small boat. "A handful o' lads wen' ou', an' came back wi' the ba' news. I reckon thar be the Mijj's ter tell us."

RedEye took in a deep breath of the sea breeze, patiently noting the position of the sun overhead. The Second-in-Command waited, knowing better than to speak up now. Instead, he eased forward on the gunwall, squinting out at the now visible shapes of a fishing crew on the small craft, along with what looked like a few official busybodies from the fishing town.

"T'lar has always been our trading partner," RedEye spoke up at last, a sneer in his voice. The burly pirate nodded. "Aye, tha' it be."

After another moment of silence, in which the crew returned to their positions, RedEye finally nodded, turning to his Second. "Welcome them aboard."

"Aye," the pirate said, a wicked grin creeping across his features. "Drink 'n vittles 'n all, Sir?"

His captain nodded, his eye darkening as he narrowed it in thought. "Yes. Be sure to welcome all of them, too. I don't want anyone missing out on the hospitality of the _BloodWave_."

The nearest crewmembers who had heard their words began to chuckle, and sharpen their blades, understanding the words for what they were.

* * *

Below deck, RedEye paused, changing direction to take him down farther. Stolen supplies, as well as ones traded with other pirates, were held in storage on the bottom deck of the ship. RedEye wound his way down, receiving curious looks masked with fearful salutes. A guard was stationed at the doorway to the cargo room, and was nodding off at the entrance, slumped in a chair a scimitar flat across his lap. 

RedEye whipped forward stealthily, grabbing the scimitar and pulling it back. He waited silently, but the pirate did not budge from his stupor, content at the start of his shift that he'd have no trouble on the bottom deck.

RedEye smiled, the expression overtaking his features and transforming them into something evil. He let his hand snap forward, and he brought the flat of the scimitar around in a whistling arc.

"Aagh!"

The flat up the blade slammed into the side of the pirate's face, snapping his head to the side as he crashed to the floor. RedEye crouched, hauling him up by the front of his tunic and delivering another blow to his right cheek, and sending him reeling.

"C…Cap'n!" He whimpered, watching blood and saliva dribble onto the deck below him. Several crewmembers came running, having heard the commotion, and RedEye caught the stunned pirate by the belt of his tunic, slipping the blade in between the fabric and the belt and slicing it neatly.

The crewmembers stopped at a distance, watching their captain uneasily.

"Gather every crewmember who takes this watch," RedEye said softly, pointing the curved blade at the nearest man. "I want them all stripped and on deck by the time I get back up there."

They saluted shakily, one of them having been a watch an hour earlier, and hauled the bleeding pirate up.  
RedEye watched them leave, turning and driving the tip of the blade into the seat. The blade stood quivering where it had landed, driven deeply into the now split wood. He wiped his hands on his leggings, and proceeded through the doorway.

Once through, he made his way towards the back of the cargo, where the young prisoner had been kept.

Her breathing was still shallow, with no further signs of life from when he had first found her in the strange sleep like state. Someone had washed her some time ago, and the wounds on her face had healed mostly, leaving her pale features to contrast starkly with the strange hair that framed her face. Sometimes, the ship healer had commented, she seemed to dream, and to speak in her dreams. It wasn't often, though, and he himself had never witnessed it. Despite his own superstitions, along with his crew's, something had kept him from disposing of her on the remainder of the voyage. The same maddening force that drove him back to her bedside time and again.

He gazed down at her impassively. So T'lar would no longer be their Mijjorian trade partners. He grasped the marked hilt of his scimitar, his thoughts wondering to their newest problem. It seemed, from his crewmembers who had come back, that they weren't just refusing, they were refusing with force. The King of the Pirates sneered, his good eye tracking up from the pale, fluttering pulse at the girl's neck to stare hard at the cargo room wall.

That was fine. There were always plenty of others clamoring for his merchandise. And besides.

He turned to leave.

There was always that message from Majora's Keep. A handsome reward for two escaped slaves from the infamous Sons of Majora. RedEye allowed a slight smile to darken his features as he left the room, his mood considerably lightened.

There was always good work for a pirate.

* * *

The gentle slosh of small waves against the boat was the only sound since the pirate ship's hailing of their presence. Sheik sighed silently, tugging the hood of his borrowed cloak more securely over his head in an effort to beat back the sharp scent of the saltwater. 

It had almost left him sick, upon reaching the water, when he'd gotten his first full whiff of the ocean. There was no chance to pause on the thought as he'd immediately crashed into the battle he'd been searching for, on the outskirts of the fishing village of T'lar. Pirates.

And not just any pirates. Hylian ones.

He raised his eyes, letting his keen vision sweep over the darkening horizon to take in the scrambling on deck. Two long figures at the forward deck caught his eye, and he paused in thought. From this far away, none of the fisherman accompanying him on the small boat could see the forms. The Sheikah squinted, taking in the taller figure. As the neared, he began to make out the features of the men who watched him. He froze, feeling something odd trickle down his spine as the one eyed man seemed to lock eyes with him. It was impossible he could have been recognized as anything more than a dark shape from this distance, however, and the roving, bright colored eye moved on. At last, the two figures left the deck, and a keel boat was launched to meet them.

Upon arriving at the village and seeing the pirates fighting against the fisherman, Sheik had intervened, helping drive them, cursing, back into their keel boat. Unable to understand or be understood, however, he had waited until his companions joined him, at which time S'Lora made a greeting.

Sheik shifted his cloak more tightly around him, as the wind picked up and lifted sea spray over the boat side. He could have left the villager's to their problems. Sheik was sure that, despite the language barrier, they could have found the route to K'Gar from the village and been on their way by the next morning. However.

A cry went up, from the sailor in the forward of their small vessel, as the keel boat from the ship was spotted.

Something strange was calling to him, a whisper he had not heard before. Not in this life, anyway. There was something aboard this ship, something lifting the nape hairs on his neck. Whether it was the captain or some other source, he'd soon discover.


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimers Chapter 1**

**Chapter 31**

* * *

You could not tell, and yet it looked as if  
The shore was lucky in being backed by cliff,  
The cliff in being backed by continent;  
It looked as if a night of dark intent  
Was coming, and not only a night, an age.  
Someone had better be prepared for rage.

-Robert Frost

* * *

Kafka shifted from atop his mount, squinting his narrow eyes further to observe the horizon. West and south, the land rose into gentle tumbling hills, where the farmsteads surrounding the keep were nestled. The farmers and homesteaders on the land surrounding Majora's keep were serfs; their families had worked the land since the time of Majora. Since then, the infamous Lord's sons had not had a lot to do with the farmsteads or the small village to the south, opting to keep to themselves and their business. Kafka sighed soundlessly, turning a sharp eye on the horseman who was reporting in slow even tones to his brother.

Juno was perched atop his mount in a relaxed pose: one hand on the double-hilt of Domination, which lay across his thighs, the other loosely holding the reins as he nodded. Both were dressed in tunics and heavy traveling cloaks, their blades customarily bare.

The horseman finished his report, and saluted.

Juno turned to look at his brother, open blue eyes inquisitive. "What about the southern route? The riders have not yet reached the village." After holding council, they'd decided to start out after the horsemen and their bloodhounds. Kafka had grown increasingly agitated with waiting for news from their contact, and his brother had proposed they head towards K'Gar to cover some of the terrain themselves. It hadn't been to his liking, but his edginess had increased over the following days, and had finally driven him to join his brother on the trek.

Kafka's face darkened, and he gripped his reins tighter, feeling uncomfortable off of his feet. A gentle sea breeze kicked up, whipping the dark hair around his face as he considered the roads. "We'll take the coast." He grasped the hilt of Command, nudging his horse forward, and jerking his chin at the horseman.

"Get moving."  
The man saluted sharply, and turned his horse, rallying his hound. The big animal flicked its dark clipped ears at its master's whistle, and rose from its spot in the shade to follow the cantering horse. Its large head came up to just under the horse's shoulder, and it kept paced closely at the uneasy mare's side.

The brothers watched the rider retreat until he was a dark smudge on the horizon, heading south, before Juno turned to his brother with a frown.

"Suppose they headed south…"  
Kafka snorted. "Then they'd be fools." His brother urged his horse forward as well, and they set off at a brisker pace, kicking up dust behind them. "If they do, they'll hit the Wall south from here anyway, and the Guard will stop them."

"They know where they're going." It wasn't a question.  
Kafka looked up darkly. "They _think_ they know where they're going. Perhaps our cat thinks to be rescued in K'Gar." He cursed under his breath.

"She won't," Juno said confidently. "We'll find her first. She can't have gotten far." He released the reins and shaded his eyes, leaning forward to review the horizon, as if he were suddenly expecting to see the escaped princess.

Kafka bit down on a retort. "Unless that cursed bastard has his spies out…"

Juno straightened up in his saddle, swishing the reins and easing his mount into a gallop. "He won't!" He called out over the wind, face determinedly set. Domination slipped from the saddle, its heavy pommel upsetting its balance, and he caught it deftly, swinging it around and brandishing it in his hand as they raced, swinging it in an arc. Kafka gained ground on him, allowing himself to forget the discomforts of riding in a saddle, and unsheathed Command in a flash, meeting his brother's blade with a clang. He twisted Command, letting the greater length trap Domination. It was an old game between them, both for practice and pleasure. Neither had ever been able to gain an upper hand in battle.

"He'd better not!" He growled loudly to be heard over the wind roaring past their ears. "If he does-"

"He won't!" Juno called, his eyes becoming even brighter, and his face flushing. "I won't let him!"

Kafka fell silent, tightening his one-handed grip on the reins as they raced along the road, blades catching the dying light of the day along their lengths as their wielders' parried blows.

* * *

S'Lora gazed out the window for the umpteenth time, her nervous gaze taking in the orange-tinted water as the sun set. Far out, hidden by several of the town's buildings, the pirate ship floated. She sighed, fiddling with the cup of mead the owner had brought her, after having cast a wary look in Koji's direction, and retracted her gaze.

Koji, across from her, was looking less and less strange to her and more like a person. She suspected it was his discomfiture at having to be surrounded by so many people, and the shyness that kept him hunched over and silent. Sheik had ordered him to stay put right before he'd joined the sailors, brushing off S'Lora's questions with a strong hand on her shoulder and a firm string of words. _Da, as sure as I breathe, did tell me that all people, big and small, were the same. Da… _Her thoughts strayed inevitably to her parents, and to the conversation she'd overheard earlier when the two bedraggled fugitives had first entered the town's small tavern, between two merchants.

_"The Gods, as they watch, keep us!" One had uttered, having just arrived and not heard the juicy gossip about the pirates anchored just off the shore. The man he had chosen to sit with kept it to himself temporarily, curious along with the rest of the patrons as to what news this traveler carried. "Majora's mark!"_

_Several hushed him hurriedly, looking around as if expecting said mark maker to appear. The man, looking pale, took a heady gulp of mead from his companion's bowl. The serving wench appeared, brining him a bow sloshing to the brim. "Go on, as you speak, man!" His companion urged._

_The man took another hasty drink, before wiping a shaky hand across his mouth, and continuing. "I came, with purpose of warning, as fast as I could! The blood magic, hounds of Majora, have been set loose!"_

_A chill had raced up S'Lora's spine, and she quietly found a seat, dazedly beckoning for Koji to join her. Blood magic. Her father's fearful words rang suddenly in her mind._

_Several gasped, and the serving wench covered her mouth, her eyes wide. "But why, in al truth, were they sent?" Another patron piped up. _

_"Aye," the merchant's companion grunted. "Where, across the land?"_

_"To the farmsteads, as I sit here!" The man had uttered solemnly, leaning back to watch its effect. Silence filled the tavern suddenly, as every ear tuned in to the conversation. The growing dread in S'Lora's stomach blossomed, and she at last spoke up._

_"What, in their search, did they want?" Her voice had sounded small and far away, and Koji had flinched at her calling attention to them. Heads turned in her direction, and the merchant looked grim. _

_"They went, in search, to find escaped slaves. The prisoners, foreign and strange, were said to be seeking refuge!" He looked back down at his bowl, and lifted it to his lips. "They destroyed, rending life and home, much of what they found." He finished the words quietly, and quaffed the drink._

A dizzy array of conversations had started up afterwards, and the young farmer's daughter had found herself too lightheaded to speak, merely gripping the table with one white knuckled had until the tavern keeper had taken pity on her, and brought her a bowl of water-cut mead. He'd almost tried to speak to Koji, but had seemed to think better of it, and merely walked away, going to the table adjacent to them where the merchant had stopped to hear the story about the pirate.

After a while, the dizzy, panicky feeling had eased. Her parents had, after all, apparently known about the horsemen prior, and it had made sense, after she'd calmed down, that splitting up was the wisest plan of escape.

The alternative was something she didn't want to think about.

The merchant's words came back to her, and she forcefully pushed them from her mind, turning her attention onto who table mate, who was tracing a gouge in the wooden table under his spindly arms. They'd waited just long enough to see Sheik board the keel with the rest of the sailors, before Koji had slunk off, looking oddly chagrined. She'd followed him to the tavern, though her thoughts had followed the boat.

They'd arrived in the village after Sheik, having followed the now lagging sounds of battle after losing sight of him. S'Lora at last rounded the last hillock, with Koji weakly struggling to keep up, and seen the remains of the short lived skirmish between sailors and pirates. S'Lora, having grown up in the shadow of Majora's Keep, was no stranger to the idea of death, but it had been the first chance she'd had to see it up close. Sheik had been crouched over a crumpled body, and was wiping off the grisly remains of death from the little blades she hadn't even realized he carried. His eyes, glancing up to meet hers as she covered the last of the trail into town had been unreadable; both surprise and regret dancing briefly across the inimitable red eyes, before they'd been replaced by an unknown expression, as he turned away.

The sailors, though wary, had been thankful for the help, and it was S'Lora who they'd explained the situation too. She was quickly coming to find out that being a guide was far more complicated than she'd first thought. Explaining the town's complicated position: having decided after years of out-of-the-books trading with a ruthless and foreign pirate captain to stop the business and become legitimate, had proved near impossible. Fortunately, she had only to stumble over the name of the pirate's home country to light a fire in the partially veiled warrior's eyes. Afterwards, it was impossible to stop him, and he'd gently held her back, his eyes expressing caution where his muffled voice could not.

Koji unexpectedly glanced up, catching her gaze with his hollow, dead eyes, before jerking his chin down again, and muttering something to himself. She found her gaze drifting back towards the open window, inhaling carefully, the sharp ocean breeze tickling her senses. "Do you, in your heart, think he is okay?" She said at last, knowing he could not understand her, but needing to voice her worries nonetheless. Dull, deep set eyes flicked up at her, set beneath a furrowed brow. The ex slave took a deep breath, his ribs becoming even more outlined under his pale skin, and released the breath with a tumbled of words she barely caught. S'Lora grimaced, feeling exhaustion from the long days of walking, fear of capture, and from worrying over her family. On top of everything else, now, there was her eerie eyed savior's well being to worry about as well. From the moment she'd seen him, kneeling over the body whose life he'd stolen, she'd had to come to terms with this sudden new facet of the quiet, stealthy fugitive. Somehow, she had never pictured violence in the hands of the gentle voiced young man

She looked up at a commotion, as the merchants rose, still chattering, and headed towards the tavern's door. The sun had begun to finish its trek across the sky, and she watched it with troubled eyes, as the skyline erupted in shades of red and orange.

* * *

Chapter to be continued 


End file.
